


the place we end, aint always where we began

by deadratz



Series: our hearts need work [5]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Abigail Hobbs Lives, Beverly Katz Lives, Bisexual Will Graham, Bottom Hannibal Lecter, Bottom Will Graham, Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Dark Abigail Hobbs, Dark Will Graham, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Hannigram Hell, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Moving In Together, Murder, Murder Family, Murder Husbands, Non-Canonical Character Death, Top Hannibal Lecter, Top Will Graham, they switch idc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:15:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 65,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27261082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadratz/pseuds/deadratz
Summary: Will Graham thinks he wants to become a killer. Hannibal wants to help him in any way he can. As they try to balance murder with a domestic life, they find themselves needing each other more than they thought possible.Part 3 of a series! Please read ‘let’s hate what our love makes us do’ and ‘i’ve seen rock bottom and it was love at very first sight’ first.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Series: our hearts need work [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967875
Comments: 151
Kudos: 408





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The summary is likely to change, but I'm still way too early in the writing process to think about it. Tags will also change as I figure things out. LMK if you think there's something that should absolutely be tagged.
> 
> Part 1: Hannibal's perspective, Part 2: Will's, Part 3: planning on alternating by chapter so we'll see how that goes
> 
> Title taken from a lyric in "Miss Me" by Frank Iero and the Patience (of course)
> 
> All mistakes are my own, as always.

The night Will Graham kills Matthew Brown, an orderly at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane who showed up at his home late at night, Hannibal holds him tight as they attempt to sleep. Their puppy, Michelangelo, and Will’s own Winston lay protectively across Will’s body in all the places Hannibal can’t hold. 

Will wakes several times in the night, gasping for air. His nightmares plague the sleep he needs. All he can see when he closes his eyes is Matthew gasping for air beneath him, and it turns into Will feeling like he’s the one being strangled. Each time it happens, Hannibal whispers soothing words into his ear, rubbing his hands over Will’s arms, or stomach, or back, or anywhere else he can reach in that moment to let Will know he’s awake, and alive, and in his arms. Will trembles until he falls back asleep.

When it’s finally time for Hannibal to drive Will back to Wolf Trap in the early morning, both men have barely slept a wink. Any sleep Will got was ruined by nightmares, and Hannibal refused to sleep in case Will ended up needing him. Hannibal drives Will home, helps him with the dogs, cooks him breakfast, then leaves. They barely speak to each other the entire time. Will has nothing to say, and Hannibal doesn’t want to push him. 

It takes Will a long while to convince himself not to cancel his lectures for the day. He stands in the shower under the scalding spray weighing his options. He would rather lay in bed with the dogs all day, or, better yet, stay in Hannibal’s bed wrapped in the other man’s arms. He knows neither of those things are a good idea. If someone catches on to Matthew being missing, and Will doesn’t show up to work, it’s possible they might see him as a suspect. Especially if there’s any evidence that Matthew was intending on going after Will. He knows he has to go in and act like everything is just fine. It’s really not just fine. 

Will gets through his first lecture. If he loses his train of thought more often than normal, or if he’s a bit twitchier than his students are used to, no one brings it up. During his office hours, Beverly comes to find him. Will attempts his best smile, but Beverly always knows when something is wrong.

“I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep much,” Will shrugs. 

“What happened to your hand?” She points at Will’s knuckles, covered with gauze. It’s the hand that was cut open by Matthew’s teeth. She sits down on his desk next to him. 

“Puppy,” Will lies. “My hand got in the way of play time. Don’t worry, Hannibal looked at it.”

“Perks of having a doctor boyfriend, I guess. You’re sure you’re okay?”

Will nods. 

“And those bruises on your wrist are from the puppy too, I’m assuming? The ones that look like human fingerprints?” 

Will glances down at the bruises in question, peeking out from under his flannel shirt. He moves the cuff down to cover them. 

“Will, he’s not hurting you is he?” Beverly’s concern is real. Will just laughs. 

“No, Bev. Everything’s fine.” Will thinks fast. “We got a little rough, it happens. Perfectly consensual, but I am not going to subject you to the details.” Lying is getting easier. Anything, including giving a coworker details about his sex life, is better than admitting to the real reason he got those bruises. 

Beverly holds up her hands in surrender. “I believe you on that. You can talk to me, though. Something’s bothering you enough to make you lose sleep.” 

“The job comes with nightmares,” Will says. 

“I hear that. You’re not doing therapy anymore, though. Maybe you should.”

“I’m fine. Therapy didn’t make the nightmares go away before, it won’t help now.” Only because he wouldn’t be able to tell any therapist, other than Hannibal, why he’s having those nightmares. “Hannibal helps enough as it is, it may not be officially therapy, but it’s as good as I’m going to get because there’s no one else I’ll see.” 

“Everyone hates shrinks until they fall in love with one, then they just hate the others even more.” Beverly gives him a smile, then pats him on the shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Will. And don’t be afraid to tell Jack to fuck off if he asks you to look at a scene any time soon. You don’t need to keep getting involved in all of this if it’s taking a toll on you.” 

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Will says. He waves her out the door. 

During his next lecture he gets a text from Hannibal, which he checks between powerpoint slides. 

_Done with work for the day. My last patient cancelled, so I’m fortunately off early. I’m taking care of things when I get home. Shall I come over tonight? I love you._

That single message gets him through his class. Afterwards a few students come up to ask him to clarify a few points, which he does, knowing it’s likely his fault today and not a lack of attention on their part. When the classroom is finally empty, he sends a message back. 

_please come over. i’ll try and let you actually sleep tonight. one more lecture and i’ll be home, dead bodies and jack crawford permitting. and i love you too._

The reply is almost instant. 

_Do not answer if Jack comes knocking on your classroom door. Come home to me._

With both Beverly and Hannibal telling him to ignore Jack, Will knows he has to. Jack does come in while he’s cleaning up after his last class, telling Will there’s a case. Out of state. Will shakes his head. 

“I didn’t sleep last night. I barely got through today as it is. I want to go home and take a nap with my dogs and have dinner with Hannibal. Ask Alana to consult on this one.”

“I want _you_ to consult on this one, Will,” Jack presses. He stands impatiently in front of Will’s desk, as if Will is really going to change his mind. 

“Not happening, Jack,” Will says. There’s a finality to his tone, but he adds for good measure, “Beverly told me I shouldn’t be afraid to tell you to fuck off. Be glad I’m not that rude.”

Will leaves his lecture hall without another word, leaving Jack standing where he is, completely dumbfounded by the exchange. 

When he arrives home, Will is almost disappointed to see Hannibal isn’t there waiting for him. He supposes it makes sense, though. It’s been less than two hours since Hannibal left his office, and it takes an hour to get to Wolf Trap from Baltimore. Hannibal may be good at what he does, but there’s no way he can take care of a body and vacuum seal all the meat in less than an hour. Then there’s the bones he has to take care of. 

Will sits in his car, fingers gripping his steering wheel. He knows he needs to go in and let the dogs out soon, but he can’t bring himself to go into the house by himself. As he grips the steering wheel, he can feel the cuts in his right hand break open again. He welcomes the stinging pain as it comes. Will watches as blood slowly soaks through the wrapping on his knuckles.

Eventually Hannibal shows up. Will has his forehead resting against the steering wheel and doesn’t look up when Hannibal opens the passenger side of Will’s car and slides into the seat next to him. Hannibal puts a hand on Will’s back, and peels Will’s injured hand off the steering wheel with his other hand. He brings Will’s hand to his lips and presses a light kiss to the reddening bandages. 

“Have you been sitting here since you got home?” Hannibal whispers.

“Didn’t want to go inside alone,” Will says, still leaning forward against the steering wheel. 

“I’m here now. Come on,” Hannibal says. He gets out of the car again and walks to Will’s side, opening the door for him. Will steps out of the car and is immediately pulled into Hannibal’s arms. He lets Hannibal hold him close to his chest, lets Hannibal rub his hands up and down Will’s back. 

“The dogs,” Will sighs. “They need to be let out.”

Will takes a deep breath and removes himself from Hannibal’s arms. He pushes himself to walk across the yard and up the steps of his porch, but stops in front of the door. Hannibal comes up behind him, using his own key to unlock the front door so the dogs can come rushing out. 

“Hi, Winston,” Will says as the dog sits down in front of him. Winston looks up at Will. He pats his head with a shaking hand, and Winston runs off into the yard with the other dogs. 

Hannibal stands behind Will in the doorway, puts his arms around his waist and his chin on Will’s shoulder. Will leans his weight back onto Hannibal. “You can think of this house as the place you killed Matthew Brown or you can think of this house as the place we first kissed, where you first told me you love me, where you have built your family of strays. The choice is yours, Will. This home is what you make it to be. Only you have the power to change this space for you.”

Will takes a deep breath and walks into the house. Hannibal lets go, but follows Will close behind. Will doesn’t look at the spot on the floor where Matthew died, but he decides he can work up to that. Will toes off his shoes, takes off his shirt and pants, and falls into his bed. He pulls the blankets up to his chin and lays on his side.

Across the room, Hannibal just stands watching him, unmoving.

“Jack tried to get me to join a case,” Will tells him. “I as good as told him to fuck off so I could have dinner with you tonight and take a nap.”

Hannibal smiles. “Jack tried calling me while I was elbow deep in viscera. When I called him back he attempted to recruit me to consult. I believe he thought I would agree and it would be payback for you denying him.”

“What did you say to him?” Will smiles, too. A real smile for the first time all day. 

“I said that I won’t be his second option just because you stood up for yourself.” Hannibal sits down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t believe he liked that very much.”

“Hmm. Probably not. I’m still expecting him to call demanding I get on the next flight to Madison. Not only did he try pulling me out of state, but Wisconsin?” Will laughs. He’s starting to feel a bit more like himself. He realizes it’s because Hannibal’s with him, not forcing him into talking about the night before, just sitting close and talking about something easy.

“Are you hungry?” Hannibal asks.

“It’s not…”

Hannibal cuts him off. “I didn’t keep any part of him. All the pieces of him went into my incinerator after I cut him up. I didn’t think you’d want to revisit the situation in that way. Plus I left him for too long anyways.”

Will sighs in relief and nods. “I could eat, then.” 

Hannibal kisses his forehead. “Go shower, you’ll feel better. I’ll feed the dogs and prepare dinner.”

Will goes upstairs to shower, washing for the third time in two days. When he steps out, he hears a knock on the front door. He wraps a towel around his hips and goes back downstairs to see Hannibal opening the front door to two police officers. Will stills in the doorway. 

“And you are?” One of the officers asks Hannibal.

“Doctor Hannibal Lecter. I’m Will’s boyfriend. He’s in the shower right now, but-” Hannibal turns at the sound of Will’s footsteps coming into the room. “Ah, there he is.”

“Will Graham?” The other officer asks.

Will nods. “Is there a problem, officers?” He tries to sound casual, unsuspicious.

“If you’d prefer to get dressed, we can wait.”

“I’d like to know the reason for this visit first, if that’s okay?” Will is very tense. He glances at Hannibal, who just shrugs. He doesn’t seem bothered, but he rarely does. 

“Don’t worry, Mr. Graham, you’re not in trouble. We have reason to believe you may be in danger.”

Will relaxes at that. “I, uh, yeah I’ll get dressed.” Will grabs clean clothes from his drawer and goes into the downstairs bathroom to quickly pull them on. When he emerges, Hannibal and the officers are sitting at the kitchen table. Hannibal sets cups of coffee down in front of them, and offers one to Will. Will takes it and quickly presses a kiss to Hannibal’s lips. He catches the officers looking down into their cups, awkwardly trying to avoid the spectacle. 

Will sits down at the table while Hannibal continues to prepare dinner for them. 

“We’ll make this quick. An orderly from the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane didn’t show up for his shift and wouldn’t answer anyone's calls. Officers performed a wellness check, but didn’t find him in his home. What they did find, though...” The officer speaking reaches into his coat and pulls out a manila folder. He opens it up to show Will photos of Matthew’s kitchen table. He had photos of Will laid out, as well as a piece of paper with Will’s address on it. “Wherever he is, we believe he took a cab because his car is still in his driveway. There was no sign of a struggle, which leads us to believe he left home, and may be coming after you.”

“You said he was an orderly at the BSHCI. He worked under Chilton, then?” Will asks. He shifts in his seat, trying to show discomfort. “Uh. The Chesapeake Ripper… he came into my house while I was sleeping, took photos. He had a shrine built of me. If this orderly worked under Chilton, do you think he wants to finish the job?”

“We believe so. You didn’t notice anything last night? Your dogs didn’t alert you to someone outside your home, or anything?”

Will shakes his head. “I stayed with Hannibal in Baltimore last night. If he showed up here, I wouldn’t have known.”

The officer turns to Hannibal. “You said you’re a doctor?”

“A psychiatrist, yes.”

“If your office has an address he could find, you may be in danger, too. He may use you to get to Mr. Graham.” 

“What do you suggest we do?” Hannibal asks.

“We can have officers watch this house in case he tries to come tonight or tomorrow. We can see if the Baltimore PD can keep watch at your office, just in case.” 

“I really don’t think that would be necessary,” Will says. “I have my dogs, I have my guns, I work for the FBI, both of us are trained in self defense. If he comes here, he won’t be able to do anything to either of us. I don’t sleep much, anyways. Besides, if that little guy,” Will points at Michelangelo gnawing on a rawhide bone on the floor. “Can do this,” he holds up his cut up hand. “Then I’m sure any of the others can protect this place even better.” 

“If you’re sure… but I really think we should keep a lookout.” 

“And if he’s not even planning on coming here? What if he left the state or the country? If he wanted to kill me, why wouldn’t he have done it a month ago when the Ripper was killed?” Will points out. He wants the officers to finish their coffee and leave. He doesn’t want anyone watching his house, he doesn’t need it, and it feels like a violation of his privacy. 

“Will,” Hannibal says, a warning tone. “You were against protection when Miss Lounds warned you about the Ripper, and she ended up being right.”

“Yeah, well. I’m still alive aren’t I? Officers, I appreciate the concern. If I see anything, I’ll call.” 

“Very well. Thanks for the coffee.”

Will shows them out the door and watches them get in their cruiser and drive away.

Will turns around the second they’re out of sight. “Seriously, Hannibal?” 

“Hm?” 

“Don’t, ‘hm?’ me. You were gonna tell them to keep my house under surveillance. What happens when Matthew never shows up? How long do you want them to wait for?”

“I was playing the role of a concerned partner, Will. Of course I wasn’t going to push it any further than that.” Hannibal crosses his arms and stands in the kitchen doorway. “Dinner’s ready.”

Will drops it in favor of eating. Hannibal cooked some sort of pasta, with a sauce Will doesn’t know the name of. 

“No meat?” Will asks through a mouthful. 

“Please swallow before talking, Will. And no, not tonight.”

Will hums in response and keeps eating. 

“You seem to be feeling better,” Hannibal says. They’re standing at Will’s sink, Will washing dishes while Hannibal dries. 

Will shrugs and hands Hannibal the last plate. He dries his hands on a towel. “Being with you helps. Today sucked, that’s for sure. I don’t want to talk about what happened, but knowing I can and that I’m not alone makes it easier.”

“Then I suppose I should never leave your side ever again,” Hannibal grins, showing his sharp teeth. 

“You’re joking, but right now I wouldn’t object.”

Hannibal kisses his cheek. “Move in with me, then.”

“And live an hour and a half from Quantico? No thanks. My drive is long enough as it is.”

“Then I’ll move in here. I am fine with an hour commute,” Hannibal says. “Unless you still don’t want to live together.”

“Say you do move in here. How’s that going to work? My cellar isn’t very big, you won’t be able to have a basement equipped to your standards,” Will points out. “You’ll miss your kitchen, pantry, and dining room. That's not worth giving up just for me.” 

“I appreciate your concern about my hobbies, but I can make compromises. Anything for you, darling.”

“I don’t want you to have to make compromises. You keep saying you’d do anything for me, but what happens when my requests are too much?” 

“Impossible.”

“Stop killing.”

“That’s a test and I know it, dear.” 

Will huffs in defeat. “I know. Actually, if we’re on the subject…” Will trails off, but Hannibal looks at him with his undivided attention. 

“Yes?”

“Never mind. It’s stupid,” Will shakes his head. 

Hannibal brings Will’s hand into his own. “No, please tell me.”

Will sighs. “I was thinking it might make it easier on me if I watch you sometime.”

Hannibal goes still. “Watch me kill someone?”

Will nods slow, hesitant. Hannibal wastes no time pushing Will back against the counter, boxing him in with his hands on the counter on each side of him. Will’s breath hitches in his throat at the darkening expression on Hannibal’s face. He parts his lips, ready for Hannibal to kiss him, but it doesn’t come.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Hannibal whispers instead. “Seeing me like that… I don’t want you to stop seeing me as a sense of safety, Will.” 

“I want this.”

“Do you want this because it’s what I want or because it’s what you want?” Hannibal leans down and nips at Will’s jaw.

“Yes. To both,” Will breathes. Hannibal’s teeth clamp down on his neck and Will lets out a gasp. He trails kisses up Will’s neck and jaw before finally meeting Will’s lips. Hannibal puts his hands on Will’s hips while they kiss, but when they start to wander, Will grabs Hannibal’s wrists and stills them. “Not tonight, Hannibal.”

Hannibal drops his hands and takes a step back immediately. “I apologize, Will. The idea of you observing while I take a life caused me to think with something other than my brain.”

Will laughs. “I’ll keep that in mind in the future. I’m just really tired tonight.” 

Hannibal brings his hands up to cup Will’s cheeks and kisses his forehead. “You never need to explain your reasoning for saying no, my love.” 

“I know.”

Will turns around and picks up the dry plates and cups off the counter. He puts them up in their places in the cupboards, and turns back to look at Hannibal. “I’m serious, though. I do want to watch you sometime. And don’t give me any of that bullshit about me seeing you differently. There’s no way I could.”

“Do you even want to be a killer, Will? The last twenty four hours have been difficult for you, and I would not hold it against you if you never wanted to go through it again.”

“I used to ask myself how our relationship could possibly be sustainable, but the more involved I’ve gotten in your… hobbies… the more permanent this all feels. When you were lying to me and hiding things, I felt like you didn’t trust me,” Will says. Hannibal’s face changes into something that looks melancholic, and Will puts a hand on Hannibal’s cheek. “No, no don’t worry, I don’t feel that way anymore. I just think sharing this would solidify our lives together.”

“But do you actually want to kill again?”

“If you pick someone that’s already sentenced to die by your hand, then what’s the difference if I hold the blade?” Will shrugs. “You were right, Hannibal. Even if I don’t physically kill your victims, I’m still very responsible for what happens to them. I didn’t admit it until Matthew was standing in front of me saying I wasn’t a killer. It’s true, though.”

“I will not argue with you on that, then.” Hannibal nods once. “I don’t think you should put yourself into this too soon, though. We should wait a few weeks. Perhaps a dinner party will be in order to celebrate afterwards?”

“You know I hate your parties.”

“But you love me very much and would come if I hosted,” Hannibal tells him. 

“We can talk about it another time.” Will knows he’ll put that conversation off as long as possible. Instead he says, “You didn’t sleep at all last night, I barely slept at all. We’re going to bed.” Will walks to the back door and calls the dogs, who come running from where they were lounging around the house. Will lets them outside one last time before bed, and watches them run around in the dark until they’re ready to come in. “Bed time, guys,” he tells them. They seem to understand because they all go find a bed to lay in. 

Hannibal and Will change for bed and when Will lays down he feels all the day’s tension start to melt out of his body. It almost makes him cry out in relief. Hannibal curls around Will’s side and puts his head over Will’s heart and an arm across his stomach. 

After many minutes of staring at the ceiling in thought, Will whispers. “Hannibal? Are you still awake?”

Hannibal, half asleep, just makes a noise in acknowledgement.

“I’ll live with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and kudos! I’ll have another chapter up as soon as possible <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2!!! Thank you all for reading. I apologize I've been having Hannigram brainrot so a lot of this is just tooth rotting fluff.

Having not slept the night before, Hannibal is nearly asleep the second his head is on Will’s chest. As much as he wants to stay awake in case Will’s nightmares are present, it’s been too long since his last slumber. The steady heartbeat under his ear lulls him to a half-awake state, Will’s firm hand on his back encouraging him to melt into the mattress. 

“Hannibal? Are you still awake?” Hannibal hears from somewhere above his head. The voice barely registers as Will’s in his mind when he makes a noise to indicate he’s listening. He’s barely listening, though. He can feel himself starting to drool onto Will’s chest, but is so exhausted he can’t bring himself to care.

“I’ll live with you,” comes the same voice. 

Hannibal doesn’t process the words properly, and mumbles, “I’m in love with you, too,” into Will’s chest. He feels the rumble of laughter under his cheek, but he’s too far gone to understand why. His arm tightens around Will’s stomach and he falls asleep. 

All too soon, Hannibal is being woken up by the sound of Will’s phone ringing on the nightstand. Hannibal releases a loud groan as Will tries to move from under him to grab the phone, and just holds him tighter. 

“It’s not time to get up yet,” Hannibal grumbles. At least he hopes it’s not time to get up yet. He lifts his head to look out through the nearest window and sees that he is correct. “It’s still dark out.”

“It’s Jack,” Will tells him. “I’m not answering.”

“Good.” Hannibal puts his head back down on Will’s chest, and Will sets the phone back down on the nightstand, having rejected the call and silenced it. “Did you sleep well?”

“Fine. Still have another two hours until you need to get up.”

“Mmm. You don’t have to tell me twice.” Hannibal closes his sleep-heavy eyes and drifts off again. 

It feels as though no time has passed by the time Will’s alarm clock is going off, waking them both up again. Hannibal sits up reluctantly and stretches his arms above his head. He looks down at Will, still laying with his head on his pillow, and smiles fondly.

“Do you remember what I said to you last night?” Will asks, smiling up at him.

Hannibal tries to remember, but can’t. He shakes his head.

“I said I will live with you.”

“And did I respond?” Hannibal asks. He hides his excitement in favor of finding out if he was even lucid at the time Will said it. 

“You said you were in love with me, too. I believe you misheard me.”

“Perhaps I did. It does not do well to spring something on me like that when I am overcome with exhaustion.” Hannibal leans down and gives Will a quick kiss. “But very well, should we discuss our arrangement over dinner tonight? My house? Bring your dogs and stay the whole weekend.”

“And by weekend, you mean forever.”

Hannibal smirks but doesn’t respond. He gets up and goes into the bathroom, leaving Will in bed. 

When Hannibal’s dressed, has brushed his teeth, and is otherwise ready for his day, he goes into Will’s kitchen to start making breakfast. Will comes in, still in his pajamas and stumbles to the pot of coffee, pouring himself a cup. 

“I’ll get used to your coffee every morning. I still don’t know what you do differently to make it so much better than mine,” he says, bringing the mug to his lips. 

Hannibal smiles and plates the sausage and eggs he cooked, setting it down in front of Will where he sits at the kitchen table. The dogs circle around Will while he eats and he tells them to back off, so they sit around Hannibal instead, who drops pieces of meat on the floor for them. 

“It’s only cute when they beg if you don’t have to deal with it all the time,” Will says through a mouthful. Hannibal glares at him and he swallows. “If we live together, the dogs come with, and they’re going to be begging from you every single meal.” 

Hannibal doesn’t try to argue, he knows Will is right. Instead he asks what Jack wanted.

“Sent me a text saying he was going to email me some crime scene photos he wants me to look at,” Will shrugs. “I told him I’ll take a look when I get to Quantico.”

“If he tries to pull you out of state again, I’m coming with you.” Hannibal checks his watch. “I have to go.”

Hannibal stands up from the kitchen table, but he’s stopped when Will grabs onto his tie and tugs him down into a kiss. 

“I’m actually going to bring all of the dogs over,” Will says when he pulls away. “But I’m not staying forever.”

“Very well.” Hannibal kisses his cheek and picks up his phone, keys, and wallet and goes to the front door. 

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Will calls from the kitchen. 

“I believe I have everything, Will.” Hannibal watches Will emerge from the kitchen and lean against the doorframe. 

“You didn’t tell me you love me,” Will pouts, arms crossed.

Hannibal grins and crosses the room to stand in front of him. He pushes Will’s hair away from his eyes and kisses his forehead. “I love you and I’ll see you tonight.”

The entire drive to his office, Hannibal thinks about his future with Will. He knows Will’s right about the basement situation, about the kitchen and dining room, too, but he won’t make Will live in Baltimore if he doesn’t want to. Hannibal considers their options. Hannibal would only be content living in Wolf Trap for so long until his desire for company, either in the form of victims or dinner parties, would become too strong. Will’s space will never be his own, and his space will never be Will’s. Then there’s the promise they made to Abigail over a month ago that they should make good on. 

When he gets to his office, there’s only a few minutes before his first appointment so he writes a note to make some calls to contractors, architects, and other professionals. With his last thirty seconds before his patient is scheduled to arrive he calls Will.

“Hello?” Will answers. Hannibal can tell he’s on Will’s car speaker by the way Will sounds distant.

“Hello, darling. You own your land, yes?” Hannibal asks, his phone between his shoulder and ear while he shuffles papers around on his desk.

“Yeah, why?” Hannibal can hear the sound of Will’s blinker ticking, and the tone of Will’s voice tells him he’s trying to concentrate on the road.

“I will explain later. Drive safely, my love.” Hannibal hangs up before Will can respond. 

He crosses to the door to his waiting room and opens it. 

“Good morning, Miss Lass. Please come in.” Hannibal steps out of the way so Miriam can enter the room. He helps her out of her jacket and he hangs it up on the coat stand by the door. He gestures towards the arm chairs.

“Morning, Doctor Lecter,” Miriam smiles. She sits down in her arm chair across from Hannibal and they regard each other for a moment. Hannibal can see that she wants to bring something up so he just waits, crossing his legs, putting his elbow on the arm rest and resting his chin on his fist. 

“I heard about the orderly that works under Chilton. I know Will was the one this guy seemed to be interested in, but they told me too, as a survivor of the Ripper that there’s a chance I could be in danger, as well,” Miriam says. She shifts in her seat uncomfortably.

“Do you believe you may be in danger?” Hannibal asks. 

When Jack Crawford approached Hannibal to ask if he’d be Miriam’s psychiatrist following the shooting of Frederick Chilton, Hannibal was surprised to say the least. First he had been surprised that they allowed her to walk free, and wasn’t put in an institution for killing him, but it was explained that she’s been a prisoner for two years, and now she’s free from her captor. Hannibal inwardly smiles at that because here Miriam is, under his care, with every possibility of becoming a victim again. 

“No. Well, nothing can be as bad as what I’m already dealing with. I have a lot of memories coming back to me, and if that orderly wants to kill me, it would probably be doing me some favors.”

“Are you suicidal, Miriam?” Hannibal leans forward in his seat, elbows on his knees, clasping his hands in front of him.

“I’m not going to kill myself, no,” she shakes her head. “I just wish the Ripper would’ve killed me instead of keeping me alive.”

Hannibal pretends to consider this for a second. “You said memories are coming back. Would you like to talk about those?”

“Well, it’s not so much memories as it is nightmares. Some of them are definitely wrong, but others I know are true. It’s hard to differentiate which nightmares happened and which are my brain filling in gaps.”

“Tell me about them.” Hannibal is honestly intrigued now.

“I’ll have nightmares where I’m shackled to a wall, sitting on the floor and I wake up, trying to scream, but my mouth is covered. Those I know to be something that actually happened. I get glimpses of the room I was in, and it had equipment like what they found at Chilton’s house,” she explains. “So I know that’s what I’ve actually seen.”

“And the ones you’re not certain of?” Hannibal asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I keep having these nightmares that I’m being taken from this office, which makes no sense. I’ve never stepped foot in here before we started this therapy.”

Hannibal tenses slightly and watches her closely, trying to see if her face gives anything away. “You see this office as a space where you can let your guard down and be vulnerable. It only makes sense that your subconscious would capitalize off that vulnerability you experience here and try to make sense of your abduction.”

Miriam nods as if that makes perfect sense, and Hannibal lets himself relax. It’s not an issue now, but he makes a mental note to bring this up to Will later. A breach of confidentiality, but their lives could be on the line, and Hannibal hasn’t always been up to code on his ethics, anyways. 

The rest of the appointment goes by without incident, and Hannibal helps her back into her jacket before she leaves, with a promise to see her next week. Hannibal thinks he will likely be seeing her much sooner than that. 

Once he’s alone in his office, he sends Will a message. 

_ I have 30 minutes before my next appointment if you are also free and wish to call me. If not, have a wonderful day and I will talk to you later. I love you. _

A few minutes later his phone lights up with Will’s name and he immediately answers. 

“Hello, Will.”

“Hey, babe.”

Hannibal’s heart jumps in his chest. “Babe?”

“I’m trying it out. You call me pet names all the time, but if you don’t like it-”

“No,” Hannibal stops him. “Call me whatever you want.”

“Hm I don’t think you should give me that much power,” Will laughs. 

Hannibal smiles. “It’s good hearing you laugh. You sound like you’re feeling better.”

“I actually slept last night.”

“No nightmares?”

“One. I woke up, but you were dead asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I ended up falling asleep again, and I was fine after that.”

“You can always wake me, darling.”

“You need your sleep,  _ darlin,”  _ Will mimics. Hannibal can hear the Louisianan accent that Will masks jump out on the word. He likes the sound of it. “Typical nightmare stuff, woke up chest pounding and panicking but you were there even if you weren’t awake. It still helps. I used to be all alone.”

“You’ll never have to wake up alone again if I can help it, Will.” Hannibal means it, too. “And I wouldn’t mind if you make a habit of calling me darling.”

“We’ll see about that,” Will says. “I don’t have long to talk. Tell me why you needed to know about my land.”

“How would you feel about building a new house on your land?” Hannibal asks him. 

“Go on.” 

Hannibal leans back in his desk chair, and nearly props his feet on his desk before realizing that’s not him, but Will’s habits rubbing off on him. He straightens up again. 

“It’s a satisfactory distance from both of our places of employment, Alana is close if we ever leave and she needs to take care of the dogs,” Hannibal lists off. “I know you and your dogs like the land and the area, but the house is not quite suitable for both of us long term.”

“Not suitable for you and your parties long term, you mean.” 

“Among other things, yes.” Hannibal knows Will knows what he means, and that Will let that go unsaid. It wouldn’t be smart to mention their own proclivities for murder in the halls of the FBI Academy. Hannibal continues, “We also made a promise to get Abigail out of that facility.”

“Building a house would take months, Hannibal. I don’t think she wants to stay there longer than she has,” Will says with a sigh.

“She wouldn’t have to, love. We can all live in your house for the time being, oversee the building process of the new home, and either tear down your old house when the new one is complete, or she can live in it herself, but still be close to us,” Hannibal explains. “Maybe I’ll invite Abigail over to dinner tonight and we can all discuss this together?”

“Okay, sure. I have to go now,” Will sighs. 

“One more thing, Will, if you are able to stay on for just a moment. It’s rather pressing,” Hannibal lowers his voice to make sure it can’t be overhead by anyone on Will’s end. 

“Yeah make it quick,” Will returns in a whisper. 

“Miriam Lass is having memories come back. I was able to interpret a nightmare she’s having as something else, but it is still dangerous territory,” Hannibal explains. 

“Do what you need to do, Hannibal. If it can wait a few days we can talk about it later. I want to be there,” Will tells him.

“I’m not sure if that is-”

Will cuts him off. “Non-negotiable. Don’t worry about my mental health or about my image of you. I want to be there.” 

“We’ll discuss it tonight.” There’s a finality to his tone. “That’s all, then. I love you.”

“Love you too. I’ll call you on my way home.”

Hannibal hangs up and checks his watch. He only has a few minutes left until his next appointment is scheduled to arrive, so he uses it to look over his notes from Miriam’s appointment. He starts to come up with a plan on how to take care of what she had told him. 

By the end of the day, he just wants to go home and cook dinner and go to bed with Will, but he remembers he told Will he would invite Abigail over. He drives towards Port Haven Psychiatric Facility and signs in at the front desk. 

“Good afternoon, Doctor Lecter,” the lady at the front desk smiles warmly. “Miss Hobbs should be in her room, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Thank you,” Hannibal smiles. 

When he reaches Abigail’s room, he knocks lightly on the door and waits. 

Abigail opens the door with a frown on her face, which immediately disappears when she sees Hannibal is the one here to visit. Her eyes light up and she grins. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Will and I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight,” Hannibal smiles. 

“Now?” Abigail’s voice is hopeful. Hannibal feels sorry for making her stay in the facility so long after they promised to take her out.

“Yes, of course,” he nods. Hannibal adds, “You may spend the night if you wish.” 

“Really?”

Hannibal nods again. “Alana told me some time ago it would be fine, and I will let the front desk know.”

“Yeah let me just pack a bag quick.” She turns around and starts picking up clothes, her book, and the iPod Alana had gifted her, throwing them into a duffel bag haphazardly. “Okay I’m ready.” 

Hannibal signs Abigail out for the night and when they’re in the car on the way to his house, Will calls. 

“Hey baby,” Will says through the car speaker. 

“That’s cute,” Abigail laughs.

“Oh hey, Abigail. Didn’t know you guys were in the car,” Will says, sounding embarrassed.

“We’re almost home, love. Are you on your way?” Hannibal says.

“I forgot to call on my way. I’m already at your house,” Will says. “Sorry. It slipped my mind.”

“It’s quite alright, Will. We will see you soon.”

Hannibal hangs up. He can see Abigail eyeing him in his periphery. 

“Yes, Abigail?” 

“Will doesn’t seem like the kind of guy for pet names, I’m very surprised he’s opted for ‘baby,’” she says. 

“It is something new he’s trying out, apparently. Up until today, he has not used any at all.” 

“Making big moves then,” she says, her tone edges on sarcasm. 

“Actually, yes.” Hannibal is turning into his driveway as he says it. “We have much to discuss over dinner tonight.” 

Abigail raises an eyebrow, but instead of questioning him, she gets out of the car once they’re in the garage. Will greets them at the door, giving Abigail a quick hug, and Hannibal a quick kiss. Abigail walks off ahead of them.

“Missed you today,” Will whispers.

“Are you experiencing codependency, Will?” Hannibal asks, wrapping an arm around his waist as they walk side by side through the mud room and into the house.

“Yeah, maybe.” 

Abigail turns a corner and is immediately swarmed by dogs. She yells in surprise as they all circle around her, jumping and demanding attention.

“Leave her alone, guys,” Will commands. They don’t listen. Hannibal turns his head and kisses Will’s jaw before leaving his side to nudge the dogs out of Abigail’s way. “Why do you have more control over my pack than I do?”

“I give them treats. It may make them prone to begging, but it also forms a stronger bond and gives me their loyalty.”

Will scoffs. “Of course. Stealing my damn dogs from me.” 

Hannibal just smiles. “Abigail is spending the night by the way. Will you show her the guest bedroom while I start dinner?”

“Of course,  _ darling.”  _ Will puts emphasis on the name, as if proving some sort of point. It makes Hannibal’s stomach flip, and he’s embarrassed to be getting those same butterflies he had before he and Will started their romantic relationship, when they were sitting close at the opera or in front of the harpsichord. 

Hannibal goes into the kitchen and pulls out the ingredients while Will takes Abigail upstairs to drop off her bag in the guest room. Hannibal starts making coffee and tea, and offers both when they return. 

“Is it normal tea?” Abigail asks suspiciously. She looks at the kettle in front of her, likely remembering the time Hannibal had given her psilocybin mushrooms.

“What do you mean by that?” Will asks, looking back and forth between Hannibal and Abigail.

“Hannibal gave me shrooms in my tea once. Alana showed up and he told her I was on half a valium. I was off my shit,” Abigail laughs. 

“Language, Abigail,” Hannibal warns. “But yes, normal tea.” 

“You did not give Abigail shrooms, Hannibal.” Will stands in front of the counter, his mouth hanging open in surprise. 

“I did.” Hannibal comes around the counter and puts his hand under Will’s chin, closing his mouth. “I was aiming to help Abigail create positive associations with her memories.”

“Let me get this straight. Abigail was tripping balls as a form of therapy, and you told Alana she was on half a valium?” Will asks, not completely convinced. “And she believed you?”

Hannibal can’t help but laugh. “Somehow, yes. I am a very convincing liar.”

“Tell me about it,” Will scoffs. “I can’t believe you never gave me shrooms as a form of therapy.”

“Oh darling, I had my plans for you. Perhaps I would have drugged you had you not made me fall in love with you.”

“You say that like it’s  _ my _ fault you couldn’t frame me for murder,” Will says, crossing his arms.

“You guys are the weirdest old married couple I’ve met,” Abigail mumbles.

“We’re not married,” Will says, as Hannibal says, “We’re not old.”

They turn and look at each other and grin. Abigail just shakes her head and goes to sit in the armchair in the corner of the kitchen. Will helps Hannibal prepare dinner, moving around the kitchen in near silence while Abigail tells them about life at Port Haven.

Hannibal responds when appropriate, but understands that Abigail just wants to talk and she’s not entirely looking for advice or therapy for once. Hannibal watches the dogs lay around at her feet, and Michelangelo stands up on his hind legs, front paws on the edge of the chair. She picks him up and holds him in her arms like a baby. 

“Keep picking up that dog and he’s gonna be eighty pounds one day thinking he’s a lap dog,” Will tells her while he’s peeling potatoes. 

“That’s fine by me. I don’t think I’ve ever met your dogs. Why are they here anyways?” Abigail asks. She gives the puppy a kiss on the nose and he wags his tail. Her eyes go wide and she looks up. “Did you move in?”

Will laughs. “No. Hannibal just doesn’t want me to leave this weekend.”

“That is actually what we wanted to discuss with you, Abigail,” Hannibal says. He wanted to wait until dinner, but the conversation was beginning to dwindle and there’s no use stalling.

“You wanted to discuss Will not leaving this weekend?” Her voice and face show confusion. She sets the puppy back on the ground and looks at the two men.

“Will finally agreed to live together. We want you to live with us.”

“Really?” Abigail’s face lights up. “Here?”

“My house for now, but Hannibal wants to build a new house on my land that would be more suitable, as he put it,” Will says. “Once the new house is built, you can live with us there, or be our neighbor and live in my old house. It’s your choice, but you don’t have to decide for a while.”

Hannibal nods. “Building a new house would take some time, but we would be living in Will’s house for the time being. I can purchase you a car so you won’t be entirely isolated. You’d be free to come and go as you please, and we would both be willing to help you apply for jobs or schools, whichever you decide on doing.”

“You guys already know I’ll agree to anything that gets me out of Port Haven.” Abigail is grinning ear to ear. “When?”

Hannibal and Will look at each other from across the kitchen, both raising an eyebrow. 

Will speaks first. “I’d have to get my extra room ready, and probably move my bed back up to my own room, but that would take less than an afternoon to do.”

“Mm, you can just get rid of your bed, Will. I regret to inform you that mine is much more comfortable and will be making the move with me,” Hannibal says. In that moment, Hannibal reconsiders Will not going home this weekend. “Actually, dear. Why don’t we do that tomorrow?”

“Really? So soon?”

“Unless you’re opposed?” Will shakes his head, no, so Hannibal continues. “We can take Abigail shopping tomorrow afternoon for anything she may need, and bring a few of my own belongings to your house. I believe the paperwork is all filled out to discharge Abigail, and won’t take long to process.”

It doesn’t take strong empathy to understand Abigail’s excitement, and Hannibal can’t help but smile. 

Throughout dinner, they talk more about the logistics: what kind of car Abigail might want  _ (“It needs to be safe,” Will says. “It needs to look cool,” Abigail counters.) _ ; things Abigail might need from the store; how they’re going to get Hannibal’s bed to Will’s house without a truck (they decide to rent a uhaul); if Abigail can get a cat  _ (“Sure if you want the dogs to eat it,” Will laughs. “I’ve always been quite fond of cats,” Hannibal says.).  _

What they don’t talk about in front of Abigail is what they’re going to do about Hannibal’s basement, how Hannibal is going to go about killing during this time period, what happens when Will’s nightmares wake up the entire house, what happens if another killer comes knocking on his door at night. They wait until late, after Abigail has gone upstairs to get ready for bed, being trailed by several dogs.

Hannibal and Will sit in the study, sharing an armchair. Will’s sitting sideways in Hannibal’s lap, legs draped over one of the arms of the chair, one arm around Hannibal’s neck, the other hand holding one of Hannibal’s. Hannibal has his other arm behind Will’s back, keeping him supported. It’s not the most comfortable, Will isn’t much smaller than he is, but Hannibal still finds it nice to be so close.

“What’s the plan for your basement? You’re selling this place, right?” Will asks.

“Everything can go in storage for now. I’ll make sure it is all clean, though it’s not on the blueprints for the house, I made sure of that. If you don’t know where the trap doors are, they are nearly impossible to find.” Hannibal places a kiss on Will’s neck. “There’s a chance the new owners won’t even know it exists.”

Hannibal lifts up their conjoined hands to look at the cuts still on Will’s knuckles. He frowns, knowing they will scar, and kisses them.

“I’m going to help you clean it. I know a bit about forensics, and I don’t want any unnecessary risk,” Will says. 

“Of course.”

“Tell me what Miriam said,” Will requests. 

Hannibal tells him about Miriam’s nightmares, and he can see the worry creep up on Will’s features.

“We have to kill her,” Will whispers when Hannibal finishes speaking. 

“She was warned about Matthew Brown.” Hannibal pauses. “I don’t mean to upset you so say no if you don’t want this, but I told you I didn’t keep anything from him, and that’s not entirely true. I kept enough blood and tissue that we may be able to frame him as the murderer.”

“Do what you need to do, darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and kudos!! I love every comment I get, I'm just terrible at coming up with responses, so if I don't respond that's why.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter. This one took me a while because I had next to no motivation to write these last few days, but I hope it's good enough.

Will rests his head against Hannibal’s shoulder and they sit like that in silence. Eventually Will feels himself start to fall asleep, too exhausted to go up to bed. He lied about how well he slept the previous night. He was truthful about only having one nightmare, but that nightmare made him stay awake for the rest of the night, not wanting to keep having them. 

The feeling of strong arms moving underneath him and Hannibal rising to his feet pulls him out of his sleep. 

“I can walk,” Will mumbles against Hannibal’s chest as he’s carried bridal style out of the study and to the stairs. He makes no attempt to get out of Hannibal’s arms, though. They pass Abigail’s room and Will can hear a dog pawing at the door from the inside. There’s a whine as they pass, and Will says, “Winston hush,” but the whining continues. 

The door opens and Abigail is pushing Winston out of the door. Hannibal stops and turns to look as Winston trots up to him and Will. A few more dogs follow him out of the room. Will sees Abigail smile when she sees that Hannibal is carrying him.

“Goodnight, Abigail,” Hannibal says.

“Night.” Free of whining dogs, she closes her door again. 

When they reach Hannibal’s room, Will is set to his feet so Hannibal can open the door. The dogs that followed them run into the room, stop at the bed and look at Will. Swaying on his feet from exhaustion, Will just nods at the dogs as Hannibal puts a hand on the small of his back and guides him to the bed.

“Did you actually sleep last night, darling?” Hannibal whispers. Will lets Hannibal undress him and bring the blankets over him.

“Not much,” Will mumbles, turning over on his side and falling asleep again before Hannibal is even out of his waistcoat. The dogs get into Hannibal’s bed and lay down around and on top of Will. 

He has no idea how long he’s been asleep, but he wakes up again for a second when the mattress shifts and Hannibal slides into the bed behind him. Will inhales and smells Hannibal’s shampoo and soap as Hannibal scoots in close and puts an arm around him.

“Showered without me?” 

“You wouldn’t have been able to stand long enough, dear.” Hannibal kisses the back of Will’s neck. “Go back to sleep.”

Will drifts off and the nightmares don’t come for the first time in days. His exhaustion puts him into a heavy sleep, and when he wakes up again he’s surprised he made it to morning. Hannibal is still hugging him from behind and at some point in the night, the dogs were let out of the bedroom, the door still open to allow them to come and go. 

Hannibal is awake when Will turns in his arms to face him. “You let the dogs wander your house freely?”

“Not my house for much longer,” Hannibal smiles. He brings a hand to push Will’s hair out of his face. “You were very tired last night. You didn’t sleep the night before?”

Will sighs. “No. I only had one nightmare, but it was early and I didn’t fall asleep again.”

“Wake me up if that happens again. I would have made you tea and stayed up until you fell back asleep.”

“I can get through my lectures just find if I have a steady stream of coffee going into me, and you didn’t sleep the night before. I’m not keeping you awake just because I can’t deal with my own shit.”

Hannibal kisses him. When he pulls back, Will finds himself moving forward for another, but Hannibal stops him. “This is a life I brought you into. You would not be having to deal with this if it weren’t for me. The least I can do is help you.”

“Fine. But only because I know there’s no way you’ll let me win this.”

Hannibal smiles and rewards Will with another kiss. Will wants to stay in bed with Hannibal all day, but he remembers their plans, that Abigail is likely going to wake soon, and that the dogs more than likely need to be taken outside. 

“You seriously want to start moving into my house today?” Will asks, yawning. He sits up and stretches his arms above his head. 

“Yes. I’ve wanted this for some time, and I don’t want you to change your mind.” 

Will laughs. “I’m not going to change my mind.” 

“Regardless. I’d like to spend all my days and nights with you,” Hannibal smiles. He sits up too, puts his feet on the floor and goes to close his door so they can both change without the risk of Abigail walking in.

Will gets up and stumbles to the bathroom. When he comes back out, Hannibal is sitting mostly dressed on the bed, pulling on a pair of socks. Will goes to Hannibal’s closet and sees he’s out of clean shirts and reaches for one of Hannibal’s sweaters instead. 

“Can I wear this?” Will holds it up. 

“What’s mine is yours.”

“A simple yes would have worked,” Will jokes, pulling the dark blue sweater over his head. 

Once dressed for the day, Hannibal and Will make their way downstairs. They find Abigail is awake, standing next to the door in the dining room, watching the dogs in the backyard. 

“Winston is very attached to you,” Abigail states, not looking away from the door. “The second you guys started coming up the stairs last night he started going crazy. I’m surprised he stayed with me as long as he did.”

“It was because Michelangelo wanted to be with you. The two of them are inseparable. When he heard us coming he decided he didn’t care about the puppy anymore,” Will tells her. He stands next to her, watching the dogs. Hannibal goes into the kitchen to start making breakfast. 

“I can’t believe Hannibal carried you to bed last night.”

Will feels his face go red. He runs his fingers through his hair, embarrassed. “Yeah, well. Haven’t been sleeping well lately. Fell asleep next to him,” on top of him, actually but he doesn’t say it. “So he did his best not to wake me. Didn’t work.” 

Abigail laughs, but it falls flat at the end. She looks down at her hands, and starts picking at the skin around her finger nails. Will can sense the mood shift, he knows something is wrong as Abigail looks back up and stares vacantly out into the yard.

“What’s wrong?” Will asks her. 

Abigail glances over towards the direction of the kitchen, and it’s subtle, but Will catches it anyways, and he knows. He opens the door and ushers Abigail into the backyard. When the door is closed safely behind them, he asks again.

“I know Hannibal was the Ripper,” Abigail starts. “I mean, I knew he was capable of bad things, but it took me a while to realize exactly who he is because no one ever told me. But I know,” she smiles weakly, her voice shaking. “The meat… it tastes like what my dad gave me.” 

Will stops her. “You don’t need to eat anything he cooks you. I can handle meals.”

“How can I refuse him? Knowing who he is and what he’s capable of? Maybe living with you guys is a bad idea.”

“You don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. I’ll talk to him about the food. It’ll be okay,” Will says. “Trust me, I was terrified of everything when I found out.”

“How did you get over it?”

“I’ll be honest. I still have days where I’m scared shitless about what he could do if I say something wrong, but he doesn’t want you or me to be scared of him. I trust him to not kill me after this long.”

Will’s heart breaks at Abigail’s next words.

“My dad didn’t want me to be scared of him either.” Her bottom lip is quivering as she says it and tears begin to fall when she finishes speaking. Will pulls her in for a hug, and dogs come running to see what’s going on. 

“I will never let him hurt you. I don’t think he’d want to anyways. You’re family,” Will says into her hair. When he lets go of her, he holds her at arms length away by her shoulders and watches her take a deep breath.

“H-have you ever killed anyone? Besides my dad I mean,” Abigail sniffles. 

Will stills, wondering if he should tell her about Matthew, but decides  _ fuck it _ , because if Abigail’s going to be living with them, she has a right to know about the going on’s in the household she’ll be residing. Keeping her in the dark would just make her more scared. He knows that from experience.

“Yes. Wednesday night that orderly came to visit me and I killed him.” 

“Then I guess we’ve all taken lives. I’m assuming he helped you handle the body, then?” 

Will nods. He tells her vaguely of how Hannibal plans on using Matthew’s blood somehow to frame him as Miriam Lass’s killer, when it comes to that. 

“That’s what he did to make it look like Nicholas Boyle killed Marrissa,” Abigail says. 

Despite knowing it’s inappropriate, Will finds himself laughing. “We’re like a fucked up murder family, huh?” 

That makes Abigail smile genuinely. Will sees something shift in her and figures it’s something akin to acceptance. 

Will leaves her to watch the dogs finish up in the yard while he goes in to talk to Hannibal. He receives a warm smile when he enters the kitchen, and walks around the counters to stand behind Hannibal at the stove, wrapping his arms around his waist. Will peers over Hannibal’s shoulder and see’s he’s making omelettes, no meat in sight. He realizes Hannibal maybe is not quite insensitive enough to feed Abigail human flesh their first morning together. Maybe Hannibal wants to work up to it, or maybe he just doesn’t have anything on hand. 

He supposes it makes sense, though. Hannibal has had to worry about Will the last few days, hasn’t bothered leaving to harvest any organs. Will realizes that even on Thursday night, the night after Will killed Matthew, Hannibal hadn’t used any meat at all in the pasta sauce he made, human or otherwise.

“Are you going vegetarian on me?” Will asks.

“I have found myself with a lack of time these last few days. As I told you, I cleaned out my stock to frame Frederick. This past month has not been kind in terms of replenishing.” Hannibal adds peppers and onions to the pan in front of him. 

“Probably a good thing. Abigail knows about the meat and that you were the Chesapeake Ripper. I told her she doesn’t have to eat anything you cook for her.” Will tightens his arms around Hannibal as he says it. He’s unsure if it’s because he’s intimidated by the idea of telling Hannibal what he can and can’t do in the kitchen, and is seeking comfort, or if he thinks Hannibal may react poorly. Either way, he holds Hannibal in place.

“Very well. What her father did was traumatizing. I do not wish to put her in yet another environment such as that,” Hannibal says with a sigh.

“For someone who’s killed as many people as you have, you’re quite caring,” Will laughs. He kisses Hannibal’s shoulder and then moves away to allow Hannibal to finish making breakfast. 

“Yes, well. You have made me quite soft it seems.”

Abigail comes in a few minutes later, perfectly composed, a smile on her face, and dogs at her feet. She looks at Will, the question evident on her face, and he nods to tell her he told Hannibal. He gives her a thumbs up and she sighs in relief. 

After breakfast they decide it would make things easier to split up the tasks for the day. Will offers to take Abigail shopping if Hannibal wants to start bringing his own stuff to Wolf Trap. Hannibal gives Will a disgusted face when Will tells him he does, in fact, need to rent a uhaul to bring his bed over. Will ignores it in favor of asking for one of Hannibal’s credit cards. 

“Please do not buy anything unnecessary,” Hannibal warns, handing it over. 

“Of course not, babe.” Will kisses him on the cheek and pushes Abigail out the door towards his car. “First thing’s first. I’m buying you some fishing gear. And yes, it’s totally necessary.”

Abigail smiles, but doesn’t say anything. 

Will doesn’t end up using Hannibal’s money for that, though. He wants fishing to be his own thing with Abigail. They walk out of the shop with a new rod, new waders, a tackle box specifically for her, and fly tying gear. 

“Clothes? Furniture? What do girls even need?”

That makes Abigail laugh. Will feels like a dad driving his own daughter around town with no idea how to take care of a daughter. He’s glad she’s grown and that he can just sit on a bench near the dressing rooms while she picks out clothes.

“Get whatever you want,” he says when she looks at price tags hesitantly. “I don’t think you realize how wealthy Hannibal is.”

Will doesn’t look at the total when he hands the cashier the card. 

He takes her to the DMV to get her license switched from Minnesota to Virginia, for driving, but also so it has an updated address on it. They stop for lunch at a fast food restaurant, once again putting it on Hannibal’s card. ( _ “He’s so going to yell at me,” Will had joked. “Is Hannibal even capable of yelling?” Abigail had asked, shoving fries into her mouth. They both laughed.) _ . Assuming Hannibal is bringing over the bed from the guest room as well, ( _ because why wouldn’t he?  _ Will thinks), Abigail picks out bedding that actually suits her tastes and would fit on the bed. They fill Will’s car with a nightstand, a desk, and a chair, all of which need to be assembled. 

It’s mid afternoon when Jack calls. 

“Yeah?” Will asks, answering the phone.

Jack’s voice comes through the speakers of Will’s car. “Will.” His voice sounds like he doesn’t know how to proceed and Will immediately thinks the worst. His stomach drops at the thought that Hannibal has been caught.

“Jack what’s going on?” Will asks, trying to sound concerned, but not as concerned as he really is.

“It’s Miriam Lass. Her body was found displayed like a previous Ripper victim. Matthew Brown’s blood was found under her fingernails.”

_ That bastard, _ Will thinks. Instead he says, “You’re back in town? What do you need me to do?” 

“We, uh, since we know it’s him, I don’t think there’s much you  _ can _ do. Are you with Hannibal?”

“Uh, no. Hannibal’s currently in the process of moving into my house while I’m out shopping with Abigail.” Will tells him. 

“Okay, well, you might be in danger. Brown killed Miriam Lass to finish what Chilton started, and now we really think he might come after you. Hannibal’s moving into your house, huh?”

“Yeah. Abigail, too. Eventually.”

“You three stay safe and alert, then. I’m compelled to offer security, Will.” Jack sounds tired, very tired. Will can’t help but feel bad for him. Most of this is all his fault. Will is the reason Matthew Brown will never be apprehended. 

“We don’t need it, Jack. I’ve already told police there’s no use. Between seven dogs, Hannibal, Abigail, and myself, he would have to put up a hell of a fight.” Will pulls into the parking lot of a petstore as he says it and Abigail looks at him curiously. “Look, Jack, I have to go. If you need me for anything else please don’t hesitate to call, but if that’s all for now?”

“Yeah, that’s all. Bye, Will.”

Will hangs up. He slams his hand down on the steering wheel and Abigail jumps. He mumbles as apology and takes a deep breath, fingers clenching on the steering wheel. 

“Abigail, would you like to witness the murder of the real Chesapeake Ripper?” Will asks her. He’s getting out of the car and looks at her expectantly.

“I thought this was a part of a plan? Why are you upset?” She follows him through the parking lot. To anyone else they would appear to be a regular father and daughter discussing something completely normal. 

“I was supposed to be there,” Will grits out. Abigail stays silent. “Whatever. You wanted a cat? It’s adoption day.”

Abigail’s face lights up. She picks out a small black kitten. Will pushes the cart, picking out a carrier, a collar, cat food, cat toys. He angrily throws things into the cart. He picks up more dog toys just because he can and because he’s pissed and because it’s Hannibal’s money.

“Name that kitten before Hannibal does. He’ll end up being named Da Vinci or Botticelli,” Will tells her as they’re checking out. 

“We could get two more and suggest Donatello, Leonardo and Rafael and he could unknowingly have pets named after all the Ninja Turtles,” Abigail smiles. 

Will laughs, pushing the cart out to the car. “That’s what I thought he was asking me when he asked how I felt about Michelangelo.”

When Abigail insists she doesn’t need anything else, Will starts driving towards Wolf Trap. He figures that, with any luck, Hannibal’s already there and Will can finally scream at him like he wants to.

He’s disappointed to see Hannibal isn’t there, but the dogs and the beds are, as well as a few other things from Hannibal’s house. There’s a note on the kitchen table written in Hannibal’s script.

_ If you arrive before I do, I am returning the van to Baltimore and will be returning home - our home - in my own car. Abigail will be pleased to know that she is now a free woman. All necessary paperwork has been filed and she need only return to Port Haven to acquire her remaining belongings.  _

_ And Will, I sincerely apologize for the news Jack Crawford has given you. Under the presumption that you are upset with me, I am leaving this note instead of calling as I didn’t wish to further distract your driving, nor do I want to have this discussion over the phone.  _

_ HL _

Will reads it over twice, then hands it over to Abigail to read. She grins. “So I get to stay here, then?”

“So it would appear.”

They start carrying everything in, leaving the kitten in his carrier for last. Will is hesitant to introduce him to the dogs, but he knows the cat can’t stay in a crate its whole life. By the time all of Abigail’s new things are stowed away in her room to be dealt with later, Hannibal arrives. Will tries to keep calm as he watches him from the window. Hannibal steps out of the Bentley and begins walking to the door.

His calm composure only lasts until Hannibal is opening the front door. 

“What the fuck, Hannibal?” Will is seething. 

“Darling, please. I know you are upset but I need you to allow me to explain.” Hannibal is moving closer to Will, reaching for his hands. Will jerks out of his grip and steps back. Abigail watches on in near horror from where she sits on the couch. He supposes it’s like watching parents argue, but instead of the reason being money or something else mundane in comparison to this, they’re arguing over murder. 

“I told you I was going to be there. When did you even do this?” Will growls.

“You were very tired last night. I decided it needed to be as soon as possible, but you wouldn’t have been able to come along. You were dead on your feet, dear,” Hannibal says. His voice sounds like he’s attempting to sooth Will, but it’s not working in the slightest.

“Don’t ‘dear’ me right now, Hannibal.” Will’s voice is tight and he wants to cry. He thought they were over the lying. Hannibal had promised not to leave Will at night without waking him, but he did it anyways. He still did it even when Will had demanded he be there for this one. He tells Hannibal as much, voice cracking all the way through. 

“It had to be last night, Will.” Hannibal attempts to grab his hands again and this time, Will surrenders and lets him. It feels like the safer option. For Hannibal, not for him. Will thinks that if his hands were free, they would likely end up around Hannibal’s neck and Hannibal would reach a similar end to Matthew Brown. Will knows that is not actually true, though. “It’s been too soon for you to be exposed to death again, and do not argue with me on that.”

Will wants to argue, though. He wants nothing more than to argue. He doesn’t argue. He thinks about the other night, how distraught and disconnected he felt when Hannibal held him on the bed before the bath that he certainly wasn’t present for. Will sighs and shakes his head. He knows Hannibal is right and he tries to push his rage down. 

“Fine.” Is all he says before he pulls out of Hannibal’s grasp and goes upstairs to start assembling Abigail’s new desk, just needing to be alone. He looks up when he hears Hannibal walk into the room. Hannibal just sits down on the ground next to him without a word, and picks up the instructions and a screwdriver. 

Downstairs, he can hear Abigail introducing the cat to the dogs. He doesn’t hear growling or hissing, so he assumes it’s going just fine. He catches her saying, “Meet Donnatello,” and he smiles remembering their earlier conversation. Hannibal must hear it, too because his mouth is turning up into a smile. Will does not tell Hannibal it’s not after the artist, but after a cartoon turtle. He takes immense delight in Hannibal not knowing, as trivial a thing as it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments!! Literally about anything. They keep me motivated!! Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this chapter to be a bit longer, with more plot to it, but the election stress got to me and this is what I'm posting. Sorry if this story has been a bit bland, I promise I'll let things get more interesting in the coming days.

Hannibal really did not want to leave Will without, at the very least, waking him up. The only way he would be able to get out the door, though, would be to leave the sleeping man where he lay. When Will falls into the bed and instantly falls asleep, Hannibal decides to go quickly and return to him as soon as possible. 

He knocks on Miriam’s door and she lets him in, which is a grave mistake. “Doctor Lecter?” She looks him up and down, confusion setting in at the sight of his plastic suit. “What’s going on?” 

“I am very sorry I have to do this, Miss Lass, but your memories are coming back to you and I cannot allow you to ruin the life I have built,” Hannibal says, walking into the house, dragging her into the kitchen. 

Hannibal is surprised when she doesn’t fight back at all. Instead, when she says, “It’s you, isn’t it?” and Hannibal nods, knowing exactly what she is talking about, she completely submits to whatever he plans on doing to her. 

Will wouldn’t have liked this one bit and Hannibal is near grateful that the man was too tired to move. 

So Hannibal kills Miriam Lass. It’s apparent that is exactly what she wants to happen. He gets Matthew’s blood under her nails, using scrap pieces of flesh he saved to make it look like she clawed at him and broke skin. Then when it’s all said and done, he arranges her as he had the Wound Man, with subtle variations, taking into account her missing arm. 

It all feels very anticlimactic for him. After two years of keeping her prisoner, allowing her to be free but still under his psychiatric care for the past month, it feels… he doesn’t even know. Like all his hard work comes down to her not even caring. There’s no horror in her face when she realizes who he is and Hannibal wonders if she knew all along. That perhaps he didn’t need to kill her to ensure his safety. He really knows Will would not have liked to see this.

Hannibal returns home, takes all of his equipment and suit down to the basement, and goes up to his room to shower. Will is still sound asleep, curled up on the bed, when he opens the door. After his shower he leaves the bedroom door open because the dogs are becoming restless in the bedroom, and he slides into bed behind Will and holds him tight, Will’s back to his own chest. 

He’s relieved when Will doesn’t ask where he was, too deeply asleep to know how long he was really gone. As he kisses the back of Will’s neck, he basks in the peace that he knows will not last when Will finds out. 

The morning is fine. Will tells him about Abigail not wanting to eat human meat, and Hannibal completely understands. They eat their omelettes, and then part ways for the day. Hannibal knows it’s only a matter of time before Jack Crawford calls. 

Hannibal gets the beds to Will’s house, brings the dogs and a few other things, sorts out all the paperwork for Abigail’s release. Jack calls sometime mid afternoon, telling him that Miriam was dead. Hannibal feigns sadness and anger over her murder, asks if Jack has called Will yet, and then writes the note and leaves it on the kitchen table. He can’t face Will’s inevitable rage yet. 

He returns the van he rented to transport his belongings and he takes his time returning to Will’s - no, it’s their - house, not ready to meet this incoming storm. 

Of course when he gets out of his car and walks up to the front door, Will doesn’t meet him on the porch like he usually does. When Hannibal opens the front door, it comes full force and he wants nothing more than to explain himself, but he knows Will is right to be upset. Hannibal went against more than one of their agreements to carry this out. He understands this sets them back in terms of trust. 

Will storms off upstairs and Hannibal’s heart shatters. Abigail just looks at him, surrounded by dogs with an animal carrier in her lap. 

“Give him five minutes and then go after him. Don’t say anything, just sit with him,” Abigail tells him, voice low so it doesn’t carry upstairs. Hannibal wonders what she can possibly know about this, but he listens to her nonetheless. 

Hannibal finds Will sitting on the floor of Abigail’s new room attempting to put together what appears to be a desk. Taking Abigail’s advice, he just walks in, sits down and picks up the instructions and a tool and doesn’t say a word to Will. There’s no protest to his company, so he starts helping with the assembling. 

They work together wordlessly. Hannibal hears Abigail downstairs talking to the animals and when he hears the name of the new kitten, he can’t help but smile. His eyes meet Will’s and he sees the other man is smiling too. Hannibal still doesn’t say a word. 

Eventually the desk is put together, and Will opens up the box for the nightstand. Hannibal helps him with that too, handing him tools and screws without needing to be asked. 

Hannibal doesn’t check his watch once while they’re silently working. He doesn’t want Will to know that he’s counting every single minute of silence that goes by, so he doesn’t do it. Will finally speaks when the last screw is tightened. It’s not much, but the words are music to Hannibal’s ears.

“Help me put these sheets on the bed, would you?” Will asks, pulling new bedding out of a bag. 

“As you wish.” Hannibal holds one end of the fitted sheet and pulls it over the corner while Will works on the other side. It finally starts feeling real to Hannibal that he and Will are living together, along with Abigail and their many, many pets. It is something Hannibal never thought he could ever have, considering what he is and what he has done. It’s the family Hannibal has always needed but never had. 

Will takes a look around the room, and seems to be satisfied because he picks up all the garbage he made and puts it all into one single box. He leaves Hannibal where he stands and takes the box downstairs. Hannibal just waits. 

Only about a minute passes before Will returns. He looks Hannibal in the eyes and moves toward him, collapsing into his chest. Hannibal’s arms come around him and he holds Will there, supporting him while his feet clearly do not. 

“You did it for us. I know that,” Will mumbles into Hannibal’s chest. He wonders if Abigail said something to him while he was downstairs. He makes a mental note to ask, but then decides maybe it doesn’t really matter. 

“I broke your trust again,” Hannibal says. “But what happened there last night, is not something you would have enjoyed seeing, my love.” 

“I wish you would have woken me up.” Will’s voice is so small. 

“I know I should have, but I wasn’t sure how you would have reacted to me leaving without you. I didn’t want to ask for permission, and just hoped you would be willing to give me your forgiveness,” Hannibal whispers. 

“You can have it this time. Don’t do that again though, or I won’t be so kind,” Will says. “You know I just need to know where you are because I can’t lose you.”

“I know, Will.”

They stand like that for several minutes, Hannibal supporting Will’s weight with his arms. The sun is beginning to set and orange light comes through the window. It’s peaceful again.

Their moment is interrupted way too soon by a knock on the front door, the sound of the dogs excitedly barking, and Abigail opening the door to greet whoever is there. Will sighs into Hannibal’s chest and then extracts himself from Hannibal’s arms. Hannibal follows him down the stairs to see Alana at the door, greeting all of the animals. 

“That one’s getting bigger,” she says, pointing at Michelangelo. 

“Yeah if the size of his paws are anything to go by, this is nowhere near his full potential,” Will smiles. “How can we help you, Alana?”

“Sorry for dropping in unannounced. I brought Abigail’s things and I wanted to make sure she’s settling in well here.” Alana hands Abigail the bag she was carrying. 

Abigail smiles. “Thanks. It’s going good so far.”

“You have everything you need?” Alana asks. 

Abigail nods. 

“Alana, I was just about to start dinner. We would be honored if you stayed,” Hannibal says. 

“How could I refuse?” She starts to take off her coat and Will steps forward to take it from her and hang it up. 

“Abigail, we assembled all of your furniture and put the sheets on your bed. If you want to go take a look and make sure everything is arranged how you want it?” Will suggests. “Maybe Alana can help you organize your things. Hannibal and I are going to take a walk before he starts dinner.”

Hannibal looks at Will with an eyebrow raised. Will just looks at Abigail in a way that says ‘please keep Alana occupied,’ and Hannibal understands. Abigail gets it too because she nods and heads upstairs, Alana in tow. 

Once outside, Will grabs Hannibal’s hand and holds onto it while they walk side by side. As they reach a safe distance from the house, Will starts to talk.

“We need to talk about how this is going to work.”

Hannibal just listens. 

“Alana has just proven that she will be showing up unannounced. So if you’re planning on killing anyone else any time soon, the body does not come into my,” he corrects himself with a smile. “Our house.”

“Naturally,” Hannibal responds. “I wouldn’t want Abigail subjected to that, either. She does not need to see anything she is not readily willing to see.”

“Right. Which brings me to the next thing. Minimal murder talk in front of Abigail. No cannibalism, either. If she  _ chooses  _ to partake, then that’s her choice. She can make her own decisions, but I don’t want her to eat anything she doesn’t ask for,” Will explains. “We can’t completely keep her in the dark about what we’re doing. She has a right to know what’s going on in her house and if there’s a chance either of us will be hauled off in a police car, but no details.”

“Of course.”

“And I don’t want to argue in front of her anymore, either. She shouldn’t have to act as a marriage counselor.”

“We’re not married,” Hannibal points out, giving Will’s hand a squeeze. Will glares at him. “But yes, I understand what you mean.” 

“I know I tend to be the instigator of a lot of our disagreements,” Will sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“You would hardly have to instigate if I were more respectful of your wishes, my love.” 

“Yeah, well, I need to lower my expectations of you.” 

“I need to do better,” Hannibal replies. He untangles their fingers and he can tell Will is about to protest, but Hannibal puts his arms around Will’s shoulders and pulls him close. “And contrary to what you may believe about me, I am more than capable of not killing for long stretches of time. I believe I won’t unless absolutely necessary until our new home is built.”

“Right, well. I’ll take your word on that one.” Will picks up Hannibal’s free hand and checks the watch on Hannibal’s wrist. Hannibal shakes his head and laughs, knowing the Komeda’s bought him a watch specifically for this reason. “Let’s head home, yeah?” 

“Very well.”

As they come around the back of the house, Will stops. Hannibal follows his gaze and sees Jack’s car parked next to Alana’s.

“Oh for fucks sake. Is everyone dropping in today?” Will groans. 

“You will find that people such as Jack and Alana enjoy coming to see me unannounced.”

“Don’t you find that impolite?”

“Very much so, but there is not much that can be done about it,” Hannibal shrugs. He leads Will up the steps of the porch, arm still around his shoulders. Hannibal lets go when they reach the door and opens it for Will to walk in first.

“Jack, what a surprise,” Will says in an attempt to sound cheerful. 

Hannibal is surprised to see Jack is sitting on the floor with Abigail’s kitten in front of him. Jack is waving around a feather on a stick and Hannibal makes a mental note to tell Will that there’s no way that was a necessary item. Abigail and Alana are nowhere to be seen, likely still upstairs or in the kitchen. 

“Abigail let me in,” Jack tells them. Hannibal notices a hint of sadness in his voice. “I just thought I’d check on you guys. This whole thing has me a bit on edge and after Miriam… I just wanted to make sure you’re all safe.”

“Thanks Jack,” Will says. “We’re doing okay. I’ll make sure to lock all the doors and windows tonight. The dogs will keep watch. How are you doing?”

“I want to catch this bastard. We just got Miriam back, and now she’s gone,” Jack’s voice cracks. He takes a deep breath. “I’ve lost Miriam, I’m already losing Bella, I don’t want to lose all of you, too.”

“You won’t,” Will assures him. “Hannibal’s going to start dinner soon if you want to stay?”

“I’d like that, thank you.”

Jack gets off the floor, leaving the feather toy for Donatello to throw around by himself, and follows Will and Hannibal into the kitchen. Alana and Abigail are playing cards at the kitchen table, Alana is holding Michelangelo in her lap. 

“Everyone spoils that dog. You know how big he’s going to get right? He’s going to want to sit in everyone’s lap when he’s fully grown,” Will reprimands. 

“He’s cute,” Alana shrugs, kissing the dog’s nose. 

Will and Jack both sit down at the table while Hannibal starts cooking. Before they can be dealt in, Hannibal says, “Darling, wouldn’t you like to help me cook?”

Will groans, but stands up anyways. “Of course,  _ darling _ ,” he says sarcastically.

Abigail snickers, and Alana and Jack try their best not to laugh, too. 

As they make dinner, Hannibal keeps glancing at Will, who watches the game at the table with a longing in his eyes. The third time he catches Will doing it, he finally relents.

“Will,” Hannibal says.

Will’s eyes snap over in Hannibal’s direction.

“I can handle the rest of this,” Hannibal smiles and nods his head over to the table, so Will knows he can leave his post at the cutting board to go sit at the table. Will walks over to Hannibal, kisses him on the cheek and then walks over to the table and sits down, asking to be dealt in. 

Hannibal looks over and sees Donatello is sitting on the table in front of Will. He wants to tell him to get the cat off the table, but Will’s absentmindedly petting the kitten with his free hand, and smiling lazily, and Hannibal can’t bring himself to say anything.

When dinner is ready, Hannibal shoos all the animals out of the kitchen and the five of them eat in a comfortable silence. Hannibal can sense the sadness from Jack, and both he and Will falsely reflect it back as best as they can, all things considered. Like the fact that Hannibal feels no remorse for what he did, and the fact that Will encouraged him to do it, albeit not in the way he did. Will’s melancholic demeanor likely has nothing to do with the death of Miriam Lass, but rather that Hannibal killed her without him.

Hannibal knows Will isn’t over it, no matter what acceptance of the situation he pretends to have. Will is upset, and Hannibal knew he would be, but he can hardly bring it up at the dinner table in front of Jack and Alana, and he hardly wants to bring it up in front of Abigail, either. 

After dinner, Jack says he has to leave, that he needs to get home to Bella, and Hannibal sends him home with dessert for the both of them. Jack offers help if Hannibal needs any assistance moving the rest of his stuff this weekend, but Hannibal declines and tells Jack to go home and spend time with his wife. 

Alana stays for a while longer, helping organize Will’s bookshelves so Hannibal has room for the more important books that he doesn’t want to put in storage. 

“Are you going to buy a cat tree?” Alana asks. “Because he’s going to be climbing these shelves if you don’t.”

Will grins as if that’s the funniest thing ever, but Hannibal decides he’ll go buy one tomorrow in order to save his books. 

“Will, how much money did you spend on my card today?” Hannibal asks, remembering the feather toy. He looks around the room and sees a pile of new dog toys, as well.

Will just shrugs. That makes Alana start laughing. Hannibal sighs. 

“What am I going to do with you?” Hannibal jokes.

Will winks at him. “This is what you signed up for when you decided to have loads of money.”

“Ah, yes. How could I have let that slip my mind?” Hannibal says.

Alana leaves sometime later, and Abigail goes upstairs to be in her room, Donatello following her. Will pours himself a glass of whiskey, and Hannibal pours himself a glass of wine. Will sprawls out on the couch, leaving no room for Hannibal to join him.

“You’re upset with me still,” Hannibal says, standing in front of him.

“Maybe a bit, but I don’t want to be,” Will responds, looking up at Hannibal. 

“Move over.” Will doesn’t move quick enough and Hannibal’s lifting him by the underarms so he can sit down, and Will lays back down with his head in Hannibal’s lap. Hannibal runs his fingers through Will’s hair, and Will lets out a content sigh. 

“I would have left you alone earlier when you went upstairs, but Abigail told me to go sit with you,” Hannibal says. 

“I’m glad you did,” Will says. “I went downstairs to bring the trash out and she told me you were waiting for me to talk first.”

Hannibal’s fingers still. Well, that confirms Hannibal’s suspicions that Abigail said something to Will.

Hannibal hums in response, and resumes massaging Will’s scalp. Will lets out another sigh.

“Did you and Abigail have a pleasant day?” Hannibal changes the subject.

“It was nice,” Will agrees. “No problems bringing everything over?”

“No problems.”

“Mm. Good.” Hannibal can hear the sleepiness creeping into Will’s voice. 

“Tired?” Hannibal asks.

“No,” Will says, but his voice catches on a yawn. 

“I am not carrying you to bed again. Take the dogs out, and I will go get the bed ready,” Hannibal says. He pushes Will to sit up and stands. Will stays sitting on the couch and holds out his hands. Hannibal pulls him up and they end up chest to chest. Hannibal brings his hands to cup Will’s cheeks and kisses him. 

“Get a room,” comes Abigail’s voice from the hall by the stairs. 

Hannibal takes a step back from Will, glaring at Abigail, and Will laughs awkwardly, his face going red. 

“You went to bed,” Will tells her.

“I came down to get a glass of water. Didn’t expect to see my dads making out in a public living space,” she jokes. 

“It was one kiss,” Will protests.

“Uh huh,” Abigail says sarcastically, and goes into the kitchen. 

Will looks at Hannibal again, who has the faintest smile forming on his lips. He reaches out and pushes Will’s hair out of his face, and then turns and walks away, going upstairs.

He can hear Will’s and Abigail’s voices downstairs, he can’t make out the words, but he assumes he has time to move things around and put things away. Hannibal, having brought over all of his clothes, hangs up his suits in the closet, and pulls out a pair of pajamas. He changes into them before moving to put the sheets back on the bed. He heads downstairs and grabs the rest of Will’s pillows and blankets from his old bed, and sees Abigail and Will outside through the window. They’re laughing about something as the dogs run around before bed. 

Hannibal smiles at how happy the two of them look. He has a feeling they’re likely laughing at his expense, but he can’t bring himself to be bothered. Will looks in through the window, catching Hannibal staring and flashes him a toothy grin, and waves. Hannibal waves back, and takes the pillows and blankets upstairs, with a huge smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments! Everything you guys say means the world!!


	5. Chapter 5

When Hannibal leaves to go upstairs, Will brings their empty glasses into the kitchen. Abigail is at the sink filling up a glass with water and Will begins apologizing for what she walked in on moments before.

“I promise all future displays of affection will not be public,” he tells her.

“I was just giving you shit, Will. Don’t worry about it.”

“Right. Okay. I have to take the dogs out.”

“I’ll come with,” Abigail sets her glass down on the counter and begins herding the dogs towards the front door. Will is amazed that they are already listening to her as well as they are. 

As they stand on the porch, watching the dogs run around, Abigail starts to smile. “I named the cat Donatello.”

“I heard,” Will laughs. “He has no idea, does he? I can’t imagine he knows that it’s not after the artist.”

“No, I don’t think he does. Alana and Jack thought it was hilarious.”

They both start laughing and Will feels pure joy. His face is going red, and he knows it’s not even that funny but he can’t stop, and it turns into crying laughter. When he calms down, he looks in through the window, smile still lingering on his face, and sees Hannibal watching him, a pile of pillows and blankets in his arms. Will lifts a hand and waves, looking through the glass. Hannibal waves back and Will can just barely see his face because it’s slightly darker in the house that it is under the porch lights, but he knows Hannibal is smiling, too. 

The dogs come running up to go back inside, and Abigail hesitates to turn around to go inside, as if she wants to ask something, but thinks she shouldn’t.

“What?” Will asks. He doesn’t entirely expect her to tell him what she’s thinking, but he decides it’s worth a shot, anyways.

She looks at him for a second. “Do you think you guys will get married?”

Will freezes. He really did not expect that to be the question. “Uh, um, I… I don’t know,” he stutters out. “We’ve been together less than six months,” he adds, as if that really matters. “We might split, who knows?”

“You guys aren’t going to split up, though. You know that,” Abigail says. 

“Yeah, I know,” Will concedes. “I’m not sure if marriage is something he wants, though.”

“You’ve never talked about it? Aren’t you supposed to like… talk about expectations of the future in relationships?” 

Will laughs despite knowing he really shouldn’t. He thinks he shouldn’t say it, but he does anyway because Abigail looks at him like he’s losing it. “Most of our conversations involving expectations are about murder, not marriage.”

“Well.” Abigail searches for her next words. “I think Hannibal would want to marry you. You should see how he looks at you when you’re not looking.”

“Yeah? Lovesick puppy eyes?”

Abigail laughs. “Pretty much. I’m surprised no one found out about your relationship before you told everyone.”

“We kept it professional,” Will shrugs. “Well, I’m going to bed. I’m not sure what the plan for tomorrow is, but whatever Hannibal does, I’ll likely go with him and you’re free to join us. Otherwise I’ll leave my keys and my car is at your disposal.” 

“Sounds good. I think I’ll just hang around here and get settled. Maybe wander the fields.”

“Just be careful. Take the dogs if you do.” Will calls the dogs inside and holds the door for Abigail to go into the house. She goes back into the kitchen to retrieve her glass of water and Will goes upstairs to he and Hannibal’s new bedroom. 

He prefers sleeping on the ground floor, making it easier for him to be aware of anyone coming up to the house, but with a guard dog like Hannibal, he supposes the threats are at a minimum. By moving into the upstairs bedroom, he also doesn’t have to worry about Abigail having to walk past them sleeping on the bed in the living room. 

Michelangelo and Winston follow Will up the stairs, but the rest stay downstairs to see what Abigail is doing. He opens the bedroom door to let the dogs in, looking down at them as they cross over the threshold. When he looks up, Hannibal is already asleep, his book resting on his chest. Will smiles fondly, picks up the book and sets it on the floor next to the bed. Hannibal hasn’t brought over his own nightstands, and Will doesn’t want to go get his own from downstairs. 

He peels off his clothes down to his boxers, shuts off the light, and gets into bed with Hannibal. Hannibal stirs at the shift in the bed, and his arms come around Will when he curls around Hannibal’s side, tangling their legs together and resting his head on Hannibal’s shoulder. 

“You were more tired than me,” Will smiles. He pokes Hannibal’s stomach and Hannibal swats his hand away. “It’s a good thing you came up because I don’t think I could carry you to bed.”

“Mm likely not.” Hannibal is starting to nod off again, but he lazily rubs circles on Will’s back with his fingers. “I would like to get started working on my basement tomorrow, if that is okay?”

“Of course. Now go back to sleep,” Will whispers. He angles his head so he can kiss Hannibal on the cheek before resting his head back on Hannibal’s shoulder. 

Will falls asleep tangled around Hannibal’s body. His waking mind has forgotten about Matthew Brown in the preceding hours, but his sleeping brain becomes a place for those thoughts to resurface and take hold. 

_It starts off with Will being the one choking Matthew just as it had been, but as time goes on and he begins taking his final gasping breaths, Will finds the roles reversed and he’s flat on his back on the floor, Matthew over him, knee to chest, hands to throat._

_Will gasps and wheezes and claws at the hands suffocating him, but it doesn’t do anything. Mathew Brown’s face begins to morph into someone more familiar, the hands around his throat grow in size, the knee to his chest holding him down with a more expert press._

_“No, no, no,” Will cries out. His dream self is able to form words even if air can’t get to his lungs. “Hannibal, no please. Please don’t.”_

_Hannibal just smiles down at Will, his eyes dark and piercing, teeth sharp and daunting._

_“I told you that you were a fool for coming here,” Hannibal says, mimicking Will’s final words to Matthew. He lets out a maniacal laugh and Will starts to cry._

_“Please stop, Hannibal. Please,” Will sobs. The hands around his neck just tighten and he’s gasping and clawing and he can’t get it to stop._

Except it does stop and Will wakes up to Hannibal holding him against his chest, and rubbing his back and whispering to him. Will’s breathing heavily, his heart is pounding out of his chest and he’s trembling in Hannibal’s arms. 

Will shifts in his arms and Hannibal pulls Will away slightly so he can look at him in the eyes. He wipes away the tears that stream down Will’s cheeks. 

“You were pleading for me to stop,” Hannibal whispers. “Tell me what happened.”

Will takes deep breaths, trying to calm down. Hannibal pulls him back into his chest and holds him there, gentle hands rubbing soothing circles on his skin. 

Once he’s calmed down, Will recounts the events of the nightmare and Hannibal doesn’t say a single word the entire time. Even when Will finishes, Hannibal has nothing to say about the dream itself, just gets out of the bed with a promise to return in a moment. 

Will lays on his side and looks down at the dogs. Winston and Michelangelo look at him curiously from where they lay on the floor, and he pats the free space on the bed so they jump up and join him. He moves to lay on his back and Michelangelo moves to settle across Will’s stomach. Hannibal returns a few minutes later with two mugs in his hands and Will can smell some type of tea. He pushes Michelangelo off of him to sit up and he’s met with an annoyed look at a sigh from the dog.

Hannibal settles back onto his side of the bed and hands Will one of the mugs. “Chamomile. It should help you sleep,” he says. 

“Thanks,” Will nods, taking a sip. They sit side by side and drink their tea in silence and when they’re finished, Hannibal collects their mugs and returns them to the kitchen. When he comes back, he gets back into the bed and lays on his side, facing Will. Will turns over to look at him and Hannibal pulls him into his chest. 

“I cannot help but feel responsible for this nightmare,” Hannibal finally says. 

“You’re not,” Will says. “My brain is just out to get me.”

“I upset you today and betrayed your trust. Now you are having a dream where I am the one killing you. It hardly seems coincidental.”

“Don’t. Please just don’t do this, Hannibal,” Will pleads. “I’m not upset with you anymore. Stop trying to turn my nightmares into something they’re not.”

Hannibal rubs a hand up and down Will’s back and kisses the top of his head. Will buries his face in Hannibal’s shoulder and kisses the skin there. Will thinks Hannibal may be right about the meaning of the dream, but he doesn’t want Hannibal to dwell on that. Will is so tired of the tension and the arguments and he just wants to stop feeling upset and angry with Hannibal.

Will knows he needs to lower his expectations. Why should anyone have high expectations for a serial killer? Will doesn’t have an answer to that, even though he expects a lot from Hannibal. He knew what he was getting into the day he decided not to kill Hannibal after their conversation about who Hannibal is. Still, he finds it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship when Hannibal is still lying and going behind his back after all this time.

What Abigail asked him on the front porch is ringing in his mind now. Could they get married and thrive, or would it just be legally binding them into a lifetime of nightmare inducing events? Will wants to get to a point where he and Hannibal are truly equals, but there are so many different ways they unbalance each other. Will considers that, and realizes maybe they are equal in the amount of strengths and weaknesses they each possess, but he wants to combine those as much as possible. 

“What are you thinking about?” Hannibal asks. 

“You. Us,” Will tells him. 

Hannibal hums, considering that. “And what about me and us?”

“Would you ever want to get married?” Will decides to ask. Maybe Abigail is right, they should talk about their future if they want to have one. 

“Is this a proposal?” Hannibal asks.

“No. I mean. Not yet. I’m just wondering,” Will says quickly. “Abigail asked if we’ve ever talked about it and it got me thinking.”

“It has crossed my mind, yes. I was unsure if that was something you would want.”

“Why?” Will asks. 

“You never brought it up. Mind you, I didn't even know you loved me until just over a month ago.”

“Again with that? I don’t know why you’re so insecure. I’m living with you, aren’t I?” Will pulls himself out of Hannibal’s arms so he can look at his face.

“I would not call myself insecure, I just have my reservations about how you may feel about me. I do not see how someone like you could fall in love with someone like me, and please forgive me for feeling this way, but it is true.”

Will feels a pain in his chest. “Hannibal, I would not be with you right now if I didn’t love you and want to be with you.” He reaches forward to cup Hannibal’s cheek with one hand. 

“There are times when I believe you stay with me out of fear, not out of love,” Hannibal whispers, clearly unsure if he should say it. 

“You are absolutely so stupid. I’m not with you because I’m scared of you. Would you hurt me if I rejected you?” Will asks, trying to prove a point.

Hannibal doesn’t answer. 

“Hannibal,” Will presses. 

Hannibal’s silence speaks more than words could and it dawns on Will that Hannibal probably would hurt Will if he rejected him.

“I’m not certain you want the answer to that.”

“Yes, I do. I want your honest answer. If I were to kick you out now, and tell you never to come back, would you hurt me?” Will asks firmly. He doesn’t want the answer, he needs the answer. It won’t change anything. He loves Hannibal, he’s not with him out of fear, but he still wants an honest answer.

“Yes, I think I would.” Hannibal answers after a moment of deliberation.

“How would you do it?” Will asks, voice not wavering. He won’t let Hannibal think he’s scared because he’s not. If Hannibal were to ask the same question, Will would answer the same way. 

Hannibal doesn’t take any time before answering this question. “I would rip your heart out just as you would have metaphorically done mine. Does this change things?”

“No. Because I’m not with you out of fear, I’m with you because I love you and because you understand me and love me back.” 

“You are more than I could have ever expected. I have just told you something a normal person would find terrifying, but you just hold me tighter. What did I do to deserve you?” 

Will laughs. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m clearly not a normal person.”

Hannibal smiles. “No. You’re not. Neither am I.”

“But that’s a yes, then? You would marry me if I asked?” Will asks, circling back to the original topic of conversation. 

“Are you asking?” Hannibal smiles. 

“No. Stop answering with a question.” Will pokes Hannibal’s chest.

“Yes, Will. If you were to ask in the future, I would say yes. Although, if you wait too long I may have to propose first.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything different from you.” Here Will is again with his expectations for Hannibal, but this one really does feel feasible. 

Will starts to yawn, sleep creeping back up on him. He had forgotten entirely about the nightmare by the time they finished their conversation. Will has a lazy smile on his face as he cuddles back into Hannibal’s chest and falls asleep. He doesn’t have another nightmare, him and Hannibal both sleep until morning, and things start to feel good and right. 

Walking past Abigail’s room in the morning, Will hears paws scratching at the other side of the door. He knocks lightly to see if Abigail is awake, but when he doesn’t get a response, he opens the door for the dogs. Abigail is still fast asleep on her stomach, Donatello laying on her back. Will smiles and closes the door again once the dogs are free. 

Downstairs, Hannibal makes breakfast while Will lets the dogs out and then feeds them. He writes a note for Abigail, letting her know that there’s a plate in the fridge for her, and that they’ve gone to Baltimore for the day. He leaves his car keys on top of the note so she knows she’s free to take his car. Hannibal leaves a pile of cash there for her as well. 

Sitting on the floor in Hannibal’s basement, scrubbing every single inch while Hannibal removes the shackles from the wall a few feet away, Will remembers something. “You really aren’t going to kill until the new house is built?” 

Hannibal shrugs. “Unless someone threatens you, Abigail, or myself, I will try not to until the new house is built, yes.”

“And if someone does threaten one of us?” Will asks, already knowing the answer. He just wants to hear it.

“Well, of course they will be destroyed, darling.” 

Will smiles smugly and goes back to scrubbing. After a while, his back and knees hurt and he stands up. Hannibal has moved to removing all the ash from his incinerator, then disinfecting all of his saws and knives, then to packing things into containers that lock.

“Is this all going into storage?” Will asks, coming to stand next to Hannibal. 

“Yes. Each individual container is locked and they will be placed into another locked chest. I will possess the only key,” Hannibal explains. “We need to be especially careful in these coming months so that no one finds a reason to search the unit.”

“We will be. You’ve said it a hundred times, you’re always careful.”

“Yes,” Hannibal agrees. He checks his watch. “Lunch?” 

Will nods. “I don’t think I can scrub any more floors today.” 

“I am quite careful about my messes. I doubt there is any reason to clean it as much as you have.”

“Well I’m going to get some luminol in here and we’ll have to see.” Will says as they take the stairs up to the kitchen. 

“Of course.” 

Will, standing in the kitchen while Hannibal cooks lunch, looks at knives and pans. “You still need to bring all of your kitchen stuff to my house.”

Hannibal smiles. “Our house, but yes.”

“Yeah, our house. That’s gonna take some time to get used to. I’ve been alone my entire adult life.”

“As have I.”

“Not anymore.”

“No, not anymore.” 

———

In the coming week, Hannibal spends a lot of time after work each day packing up his old house. Will and Abigail have to fend for themselves for dinners, and they settle for TV dinners and sandwiches. They play cards and watch TV and take the dogs out. Will patiently waits for Hannibal to come home each night, but Hannibal comes home late and exhausted and just wants to sleep when he comes in the door. By Thursday Will misses him. 

He drives to Baltimore with the intention of meeting Hannibal at his old house and helping him with the packing, but the Bentley isn’t in the driveway when he arrives. He lets himself in and finds it’s not in the garage either. Will goes to Hannibal’s office instead. He had been given a list of Hannibal’s hours during each day so Will knows Hannibal should be done at the office by now. He starts to fear the worst on the drive over. Hannibal could be dead, or arrested, for all he knows. 

Will figures that if it’s the latter, he would have been notified, so when he arrives at the office, he prepares himself as best as he can. Which isn’t very well. Nerves are getting the best of him as he shuts off the car and he’s nearly out of it before the engine even dies. 

Taking the front steps, two at a time, he nearly trips but he pushes onward, and with shaky hands he opens the front door. He runs through the waiting room, he doesn’t even bother knocking before he takes a deep breath and pushes into the office. 

There’s no crime scene. No blood, no dead Hannibal, no signs of anything Will was worried about. Instead, Hannibal’s at his desk, head resting on his arms, a steady rise and fall of his breathing. Will instantly calms down when he sees Hannibal is just sleeping, not dead or in prison. 

Will smiles fondly and goes to Hannibal. He rests a hand on his shoulder and Hannibal startles awake, frantically looking around. When he realizes where he is, and who is touching him, his defenses fall again. 

“Will?” His accent is thicker, heavy with sleep. “What time is it?” 

“After 7.”

“What are you doing here?” 

“I wanted to help you at your house tonight. I was going to surprise you, but you weren’t there.”

“Hm I appear to have fallen asleep at my desk,” Hannibal says. He leans his head into Will’s arm, the hand still on Hannibal’s shoulder. 

“You don’t say,” Will says sarcastically. “Come on. You wanna go home? We can finish the packing this weekend, darling.”

Hannibal shakes his head. “I don’t believe I should drive back to Wolf Trap tonight. I am still quite tired.” 

“We can stay at your house tonight. You still have a couch right?”

Hannibal nods. “I will sleep on a couch. You should just go home, you have lectures tomorrow.”

“No. I miss you. I’ll just leave early in the morning. Come on.” 

Hannibal gives in and follows Will out of the office. Will takes his keys and locks the front door for him, then grabs his hand and leads them both to Will’s car. 

“I can make it home, Will,” Hannibal protests.

“I’ll drop you off in the morning or you can get a cab. I really don’t want you to fall asleep behind the wheel.” Will pushes Hannibal into the passenger seat and goes around to the other side to get behind the wheel. He sends Abigail a text saying they won’t be home, and to lock the doors and feed the dogs, and then he takes them both to Hannibal’s house. 

Hannibal falls asleep against the window on the short drive, and when Will pulls into the driveway, he wakes him up with a hand to his thigh. 

“You fell asleep again,” Will points out. 

“It seems I did.”

Will opens Hannibal’s door for him and leads him to the house by their intertwined hands. When they reach the door, Hannibal takes out his key to unlock it.

“Did you leave the door unlocked when you came here?” Hannibal asks.

“No I locked it. Why? Is it unlocked?” Will asks. He knows he locked the door. Hannibal would be on his ass until the end of time if he hadn’t. 

“I believe someone may have picked the lock then. I cannot imagine why someone would want to break into my house. It is practically empty.” Hannibal seems very calm considering someone may be inside his house. He pushes open the door and walks slowly through the foyer, into the kitchen, Will following close behind. Will wishes he had his gun on him, but he didn’t expect to need it. 

Hannibal toes off his shoes, and motions for Will to do the same, walks into the pantry as quietly as possible. Will sees that the trap door is open. Hannibal turns to him and brings a finger to his lips to tell Will to stay quiet, then they both descend the stairs into the basement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. There’s that! Please leave comments they keep me going! Thank u all for reading. Give me some extra time on the next chapter because I’ve got a few other things to work on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-canonical character death in this chapter, though you may have been able to predict that from last chapter's ending. Proceed with caution.

“Ah, Miss Lounds. I expect you have found everything you’re looking for,” Hannibal says when he sees the woman poking around, trying to open locked boxes. 

Nothing is set up, everything is cleaned to the point where not even the FBIs best crime scene investigators would find anything of note. Supplies are still down there, but in locked boxes, awaiting transport to the storage unit. There is nothing Freddie Lounds could have found that would get Hannibal in any trouble. 

Freddie nearly jumps off the ground when Hannibal’s voice distracts her from what she’s doing. She looks up, eyes wide at Hannibal and Will standing at the base of the stairs. 

“What is this? Why are all these boxes locked?” Freddie questions. 

“Why are you down here, Freddie? I’ll call the cops right now and have you arrested for trespassing,” Will says, still behind Hannibal. 

“No, I don’t think you will, actually,” she says, crossing her arms. “You know why? Because there’s this whole pile of cleaning products right here, luminol spray and a black light, which means something shady has gone on down here. I should call Jack Crawford right now and tell him about Doctor Lecter’s hidden basement with locked boxes, which has just been deep cleaned.” 

Hannibal tenses, knowing what has to be done, the risk is too high. He feels a hand on his shoulder and he turns to see Will, his eyes asking the question he doesn’t dare say out loud. Hannibal nods, which gives Will all the permission he needs to walk around Hannibal and towards Freddie. 

Freddie is too confused to understand what Will is doing and by the time Will has her in a headlock it’s too late for her to try and avoid it. 

“A little help, love?” Will asks as Freddie starts to thrash in his grip. Hannibal smiles at the name and stalks forward. He grabs hold of Freddie’s wrists so her fingernails can’t scrape at Will’s skin and he looks up. She tries kicking at him, but Hannibal just stands there, taking the hits without so much as a wince. He ignores Freddie to look into Will’s eyes. 

“How would you like to do this?” Hannibal asks. 

“Take her phone. Make sure she hasn’t called anyone from here,” Will instructs. “If she told someone she was coming here, we say we’ve been home all night and that perhaps Matthew Brown broke into your house trying to find us but found Freddie instead.” 

“You guys are sick,” Freddie screams. Hannibal ignores her, moving her wrists to be held in one hand, which isn’t difficult at all given her petite size. He finds her cell phone in the purse she’s wearing across her body. 

There’s no passcode, which is a stupid mistake on Freddie’s part. Hannibal scrolls through the call log, sees nothing from within the last few hours, then checks text messages and emails to ensure no one knows she’s been here. 

“Nothing,” Hannibal nods. He watches as Will’s arms and hands shift so he can better cut off Freddie’s airflow. “Shall we recreate a Ripper scene with her?” 

“What about that heart you did a while back? She was so thorough in reporting on that, which ultimately had a hand in what happened to Frederick. Had she not been concerned for my safety, you wouldn’t have built that shrine, putting us both into the victims list and keeping us from being persons of interest. Matthew Brown would not have known about us if not for her.”

“You…” Freddie starts, realization is setting in, but Will is cutting off her airflow and her words die off into gasps and she’s thrashing again, trying to break free, but she can’t. 

“Yes. Me,” Hannibal smiles. 

“Oh god,” Freddie gasps out. 

Will hushes Freddie in a soothing voice, and Hannibal can’t help but note Will’s humanity as he takes another life. Two sides of him are battling inside himself. Hannibal thinks it’s the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. He was deprived of watching Will kill Matthew Brown, but now to see him take the life of someone he has wanted to for some time now, Hannibal feels fondness radiate through him.

Hannibal watches as Will strangles Freddie, his eyes never leaving Will’s the entire time. Will keeps his eyes focused on Hannibal, as well, as if they’re the only two people in the room, sharing a moment just for the two of them. Freddie’s struggling stops after several long minutes and Hannibal drops her wrists, knowing it’s over. Will drops her and she falls to the ground. 

Will throws himself at Hannibal, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him hard. Hannibal is thrown back by the force of Will’s body colliding with him and has to take a steadying step before his hands come around Will’s waist and he kisses back. 

When Hannibal pulls away, Will is gasping for breath, his heart rate is rising and he’s starting to shake in Hannibal’s arms. 

“You did wonderful, Will,” Hannibal whispers. He brings a hand to cradle the back of Will’s head and Will drops his head to Hannibal’s shoulder. “We need to take care of this sooner rather than later. Why don’t you go make us some coffee while I get set up?” 

Will nods and goes back up the stairs. Hannibal checks Freddie’s pulse to make sure she’s really dead, and then takes out his keys to begin unlocking all of his boxes of supplies. This sets back the moving process by a few days, but he’s extremely glad he didn’t bring this stuff into storage yet. He lays Freddie’s body down on a tarp and pulls out two plastic suits for himself and Will, then he goes upstairs to check on Will in the kitchen.

He’s standing in front of the coffee maker, staring blankly as the pot fills. Hannibal comes up and hugs him from behind. Will tenses and Hannibal whispers, “It’s me,” into Will’s ear, which causes him to relax and lean back against Hannibal.

“How are you feeling, darling?” Hannibal speaks into Will’s ear, voice low. Will shrugs his shoulders and Hannibal doesn’t push it. “You may observe, participate, or sit up here until I’m done. The choice is yours.”

“I’ll watch. I want to.” Will turns in Hannibal’s arms and wraps his own around Hannibal’s neck. “It bothers me that we don’t know why she was here. She could have told someone, or she could have been sent. We’ll never know.”

“I have spotted Miss Lounds several times over this week, either lurking around my house, office, or the storage unit. It is a large part why I have not brought any of my supplies out of the house yet. Perhaps something struck her interest and she wanted to investigate,” Hannibal shrugs.

“You didn’t think to tell me Freddie’s been stalking you?” 

“I didn’t want you to worry.” Not that someone like Freddie is much of a physical threat to Hannibal, and any threats to his freedom would have been dealt with just as they had, but Will would have found reason to fret about the situation.

“You know what? Maybe she saw me buying all those cleaning supplies and decided to snoop around,” Will decides. “So much good it did her.”

“Indeed.”

Hannibal is pleased to see Will handling killing Freddie much better than killing Matthew Brown. He wonders if it’s because Will has always wanted to kill Freddie, but he doesn’t ask. If Will wants to talk about it, Hannibal knows he will. 

“I have an idea for this, Will. If you do not wish to carry it out this way then we won’t, but I would like for you to hear me out,” Hannibal says. When Will nods, Hannibal tells him his exact plan for this display. Will is more than agreeable. 

So Hannibal and Will don their plastic suits, and when Will zips his up, he looks at Hannibal curiously.

“This fits me,” Will states.

“There is a chance I had one made when I acquired your measurements for buying you suits,” Hannibal admits. 

Will gives Hannibal an incredulous look but doesn’t say anything more. He stands next to Hannibal while he works, handing him tools, his coffee mug, and anything else he asks for. At one point Will asks him if he’s saving anything from her and Hannibal stops what he’s doing.

“Anything in particular you think I should take?” Hannibal asks him.

Will shrugs. “When was the last time you indulged? Take what you want and cook me dinner when we’re finished.”

Hannibal grins. “Oh how I love you so,” he says before plunging his hand into Freddie Lounds’ open chest cavity and removing her heart. He hands it to Will. “Please go rinse it off and put it in the fridge, dear.”

Will turns on his heels and leaves the basement to bring the heart to the kitchen. Hannibal gets back to work, breaking her bones and bending her so she resembles an anatomical heart. He’s careful to make it look like a mediocre recreation of his own work, which pains him. Will returns and watches him with a strong curiosity. 

“I have wanted to kill Freddie Lounds since the day I met her and I can honestly say that was nowhere near as satisfying as I had hoped it would be,” Will says after a while.

“No?” Hannibal raises an eyebrow.

“No.”

“I will admit, I felt the same way about killing Miriam Lass. It was…” 

“Anticlimactic?” Will finishes for him.

“Precisely,” Hannibal nods. 

Once finished in the basement, Will backs his car into the garage, away from the possible eyes of neighbors, and Hannibal carries Freddie’s body to the trunk, wrapped carefully in the tarp. Will drives them out to the field in Virginia where Hannibal had placed the same display months back, and using Freddie Lounds’ cell phone, he snaps a photo of the scene. 

Hannibal takes the phone and his suspicions are confirmed when he checks to see if Freddie is logged onto Tattlecrime in her web browser. He quickly types up an article and sets it to post six hours from then, giving them ample time to get back to Baltimore and get a few hours of rest in before Jack calls Will. He then removes the SIM card, breaks it in half, and then they drive to another location where Will smashes the phone under his tire and throws it into a lake. 

Upon returning to Baltimore, Hannibal takes a walk around the block to make sure Freddie’s car isn’t anywhere near his house, and when he doesn’t find it he assumes she must have taken a cab to his house or parked her car far away. 

Back home, Hannibal can’t find Will at first, but after searching the ground floor, he goes upstairs and finds him soaking in the bathtub. Will opens his eyes when Hannibal comes into the bathroom and grins at him.

“Care to join me?” Will asks.

Hannibal shakes his head, as tempting as the offer may be. “I would like to start dinner, actually. I was just wondering where you went.”

Will huffs in annoyance. “Fine. I’m almost done anyways.”

Hannibal goes to leave, but Will calls him back. “Did you bring all of our clothes to my house?” 

“Yes, I believe so. You will have to put today’s clothes back on,” Hannibal tells him, frowning. “I could put them in the wash for you, but then you would have to walk around in a towel.”

“That’s fine. Please wash them.”

Hannibal picks up the pile of Will’s clothes off the bathroom floor and deposits them in the washing machine, then goes to start dinner. 

When Will comes down he has a towel wrapped around his hips and his hair is dripping all over the kitchen floor. Hannibal makes a noise of discontent but doesn’t say anything about it. 

“You told Abigail we wouldn’t be home tonight, yes?” Hannibal asks.

“I texted her before we left your office.”

Hannibal nods. 

Will looks around the corner into the dining room. “No table?”

“In storage already. We can eat at the counter tonight.” Hannibal wasn’t planning on cooking much in his house beyond light snacks while he was spending long hours packing. It’s very late by the time the meal is ready and by the time they’re finished, Will is yawning and his eyes are drooping. Hannibal flipped the laundry some time before setting their plates down, so the small load of clothes is dry by the time they’re ready to sleep. 

Hannibal throws Will’s underwear and undershirt to him to wear as pajamas, and Will puts them on. 

“There’s only one couch,” Hannibal tells him. Will doesn’t seem to care.

They end up both laying on it, Will laying on his stomach on top of Hannibal’s, full weight bearing down on him. Will seems comfortable and falls asleep within minutes, but it takes Hannibal a while longer. Still, he doesn’t ask Will to move. 

When early morning rolls around, they’re both woken up by the sound of Will’s phone ringing where it was left on the floor. Will’s arm is dangling over the side of the couch and blindly reaches for it with his face pressed into the crook of Hannibal’s neck. 

“Put it on speaker,” Hannibal mumbles, voice heavy with sleep. 

“Mm,” Will responds. He lifts his head to see where the accept button is and then puts the phone on speaker. He drops his cheek to Hannibal’s chest. “Yeah?” 

“Will, it’s Jack. We’ve got a scene for you.”

“Shit. Okay, where?” Will asks. 

“You remember that Ripper display with the heart?”

“Yeah, how could I forget?” 

“Same field.”

“Can you send me the location? I barely remember,” Will lies. 

“Do you want me to just come pick you up?”

Will sighs. “No, I’m in Baltimore. Just send me the location. Hannibal’s coming too, by the way.” 

“That’s fine. Is Abigail alone in Wolf Trap?” Jack asks, worry apparent in his voice. 

“Yeah, why?” They both already know why. Hannibal smiles at how well Will plays dumb in these situations. Had he not gone into law enforcement, Hannibal thinks Will could have been an actor.

“Pick her up on the way. She’s not safe there alone. I’ll explain more when you get here.” Jack hangs up and a minute later, Will’s phone dings with the location. 

“I’d rather you not have told Jack I would be coming along. I would very much like to stay here and sleep in,” Hannibal says, rubbing a hand up and down Will’s back. “You didn’t have any nightmares last night, did you?”

“No, I slept like the dead.”

“Good.” He kisses the top of Will’s head. “You are handling this quite well, I must say.”

“I wasn’t alone this time,” Will says into Hannibal’s chest.

“And you never will be again if I have any say in it.”

They’re slow getting up, both of them wanting to lay on the couch for a few more hours, but they know they have to go. 

Hannibal remembers something while they’re getting dressed in last night’s clothes. “Since Miriam is now dead I do not have any morning appointments today,” Hannibal says, a little too chipper. 

“Don’t say that to Jack,” Will laughs. “Seriously, maybe sound a little less excited about that.”

There is nothing to eat for breakfast so Hannibal begrudgingly allows them to skip it for today, and Will calls Abigail when they get in the car, Hannibal driving Will’s car.

“Hey, sorry to wake you, but there’s been a murder and Jack thinks you’re unsafe alone at home so we have to pick you up,” Will explains. There’s a few seconds pause where Hannibal assumes Abigail is speaking on the other end. “Okay yeah maybe.” Another pause. “Yeah, we are both sincerely sorry for being the reason for this.” Pause. Hannibal smiles. Will’s tone is defensive and Hannibal knows Abigail is giving him an earful. “Well, Abigail, we had no choice, so if you would have preferred both of us be arrested last night then I guess I am sorry for disappointing you.” 

“Put her on speaker,” Hannibal says. Will connects the phone’s bluetooth to the car. “Abigail, I feel no remorse for my actions, don’t listen to Will.”

“Seriously?” Will yells. Hannibal grins. 

“I don’t actually care. I guess this is what I signed up for. When will you be here?” Abigail says. 

“About forty minutes,” Hannibal responds. “We will return you home directly after and you may go back to sleep.”

Abigail says she’ll be ready and hangs up. She gets in the car, a frown on her face. “Can we stop for coffee or an energy drink or something?”

“Yeah. Hannibal, stop at the next gas station,” Will says. He turns in his seat and looks at Abigail. “Sorry you had to come along.”

“It’s fine. Who’s dead?” Abigail yawns. 

Hannibal looks at Abigail in the rear view mirror and he can sense Will’s hesitancy, so he says it himself. “Freddie Lounds.”

“Shit, really?” Abigail’s face lights up and Hannibal smiles despite knowing he really shouldn’t. 

“Yes. She broke into my house and found the basement, although clean, there were still supplies out,” Hannibal explains. 

“I killed her,” Will says.

“If anyone deserved to kill Freddie Lounds, it’s you,” Abigail says. 

Hannibal supposes Abigail is completely right. He remembers his and Will’s conversation from the day after Will’s birthday, how badly Will wanted to kill Freddie Lounds that day. Hannibal is glad they have a scapegoat for these crimes because it would have put Will as a person of interest in the investigation had they not. 

Hannibal pulls into a gas station and both Abigail and Will get out to go inside. They both return with the energy drinks Will likes and Hannibal groans when he sees them. 

“My car, my rules,” Will reminds him.

“Perhaps it should be driver’s rules,” Hannibal counters, but just opens a window so he doesn’t have to smell the drinks. 

When they arrive on the scene, Will tells Abigail to stay in the car and she agrees without protest, pulling out her phone to pass the time. 

The display they left is roped off by police tape, and agents circle around the body, waiting for the go ahead to touch the scene. Jack must have told them to wait so Will can have it fresh. Not that he needs it. 

“Everyone give Will space,” Jack barks out orders. “Alright, guys,” he greets Hannibal and Will. “ We believe this body is Freddie Lounds.” 

Will looks at Jack, surprise written across his face. “How can you tell?”

“Tattlecrime article. Seems to have been scheduled to post when the killer was far away from the scene, we believe he took her phone, snapped a picture of the corpse, then wrote the article. Well, not that any normal person would call it an article,” Jack explains. 

“What did it say?” Will asks. 

Jack opens his phone and reads what is written. “‘Freddie Lounds sticks her nose where it shouldn’t go and now she has paid the price. I will carry on the work that she helped put an end to.’ We think it’s Brown, and we think you’re included in ‘the work’ he’s talking about. I want you to look.” 

“Okay. Yeah,” Will agrees. He walks up the body and Hannibal follows, everyone else a safe distance away. Will pretends to reconstruct the crime in front of him while Hannibal hugs him from behind, acting as though Will needs the stability in order to look at this one. “I think I’ll tell Jack that, just like the original heart being a love letter to me, this one is as well.” 

“Mm I think that would be a very good idea,” Hannibal agrees. “It’s entirely true.” Hannibal kisses Will’s neck. 

They stand like that for several minutes, Will’s eyes closed, pretending to do his thing. 

After enough time has passed, Will calls Jack over. 

“You think it’s Brown?” Are the first words out of his mouth. 

Will nods. “Freddie Lounds was very thorough in her coverage of the scene this one’s copying, which helped her put two and two together that the Ripper was interested in me. That’s part of the reason why he killed Miriam too, I think. Both of these people had a hand in the Ripper’s capture. Uh, I… somewhat feel responsible for this because I think it’s another love letter to me.”

“Why would that make you responsible?”

“Everyone knows I hated Freddie,” Will explains. “He killed her and turned her into a heart to show me why. Maybe it’s not a direct love letter, more so Brown trying to show me that he’s doing this for Chilton because of how Chilton felt about me.”

“That’s quite possible,” Jack agrees. Hannibal feels relief that this is working out perfectly. “Will, I think you guys need to leave for a while. Take a vacation until we find him.”

“And if you don’t find him?” Hannibal asks, hugging Will tighter. Will leans back against him. “What if he never comes for us?” 

“He won’t get away, Doctor. We won’t let him,” Jack reassured him. “And I really don’t think you should go into your office today. I’m serious, call Alana to watch the dogs and go on a road trip.”

“We can’t just drop everything and leave. We have a house to build, another to pack up and sell, we have work, Abigail just moved in, we don’t have the time for a vacation,” Will argues. He pulls himself out of Hannibal’s arms and stands, facing Jack. “We’re not running from our lives just because serial killers are obsessed with me.” 

“Will,” Jack tries. “Okay, fine. We’re putting security outside your house, though.” 

“Fine,” Will says. “Is that it? Abigail was not happy about needing to come along.”

“Yeah, we’re good. And hey, at least take the day off from your lectures, you look exhausted,” Jack puts a hand on Will’s shoulder. 

“Alright I will.” 

They turn around and walk off the scene. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not very happy with the quality of writing in this chapter, but here it is anyways. Please leave comments and kudos!


	7. Chapter 7

Will gets into the driver’s seat after taking the keys from Hannibal on the walk back to the car. They walk quickly so as to not be stopped by Beverly, Zeller or Price, as much as Will would love to stay and chat. There are more pressing matters to talk about, like how a security detail is going to be put outside their house to wait for a killer than can never come because he already has. 

Abigail looks up from her phone as they open their doors and wordlessly get into the car. “How’d that go?”

“Fine,” Will responds. “We’re getting put under surveillance.”

“Of course,” Abigail sighs. “How are you going to get out of this one?”

Hannibal speaks before Will can. “I believe I may have a plan, but it is quite risky.” 

“Since when are we _not_ being risky?” Will asks. 

——

It’s a week later, very early on Friday morning. Will has cancelled his lectures yet again, under the grounds that Abigail shouldn’t be left alone for the day. Officers sit outside the house in their car, watching for someone who will never come. Will watches them through the window, wishing they would just go away. He turns when he hears Hannibal’s footsteps coming down the stairs carrying two suitcases. 

“I really wish you didn’t have to go,” Will says. “Or that I could at least go with you.”

“I know, but it will only be a few days,” Hannibal sets down the bags and wraps his arms around Will’s neck. “It is best if I do this alone.”

“I know,” Will says. He leans his forehead against Hannibal’s and brings his arms around his waist. They stand there like that for several minutes, eyes closed, breathing in each other’s air. Hannibal’s watch beeps to let him know he has to leave and he leans in to kiss Will soft before pulling away. Will brings a hand to Hannibal’s cheek. “Be careful, okay?” 

“I always am, my love.” Hannibal walks out the front door and throws his bags into the trunk of the Bentley. He waves to Will, who puts a hand on the window in return, before he gets in and drives off. 

They had told Jack that Hannibal would be going to some sort of psychiatric convention in Philadelphia that weekend. The plan is that Hannibal will check in at the hotel and at the convention, make sure people see him there, and then drive himself to Texas, right near the border of Mexico. He will wear a disguise of normal clothes, a hood up, sunglasses to obscure his face. He’s supposed to be caught on camera at a gas station, the same height and a similar build to Matthew Brown. Hannibal will then dig around in his pockets as if he finds himself out of cash and is panicked about using a card, but he will then use Freddie Lounds’ credit card to pay for his gas.

It will be extremely risky, Hannibal will have to steal a car and dump it at the border, it will have to look like Matthew crossed over and was out of the country, and out of the FBIs jurisdiction. Everything will need to be timed perfectly. Will is beyond worried about him. He keeps going over the plan in his head, looking for any hole in their logic that might cause a problem. 

Even with three heads working this plan out, Will fears something is missing. Abigail and Hannibal kept assuring him the entire week it would be perfectly fine. He’s scared someone might recognize Hannibal when overlooking the footage at the gas station, he’s worried the police will catch him driving a stolen car, or that someone will see Hannibal leave the convention and not come back. 

Three hours after Hannibal leaves, Will’s phone rings. “Hey. Did you make it to Philly?”

“Yes, I did,” Hannibal answers. “I am sitting in my room at the hotel now, then going down to the convention for an hour before I will leave for Del Rio.”

“Make sure you stop if you get tired. I don’t want you falling asleep while driving,” Will says. He’s sitting in an armchair in the living room, watching TV with Abigail. Abigail looks up at him from across the room. “Abigail says ‘hi’ by the way. She misses you.”

“Speak for yourself, Will,” she laughs. 

“Okay fine. She doesn’t miss you, but I do.” 

“I have only been gone for three hours, dear,” Hannibal says. Will can hear him smiling. 

“I know, but you’re going to be gone all weekend. Please come home to me in one piece.”

“I will. I have to go now, but I will call you when I stop for dinner later.”

“You have enough cash, right? You need to get through the whole weekend without leaving a trail,” Will frowns. 

“Yes. Please do not worry about me. This is not the first time I have done something like this.” 

“Take out more cash before you leave the hotel.”

“Very well. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Will whispers. He hangs up after that.

“He’s going to be fine, Will,” Abigail says. “Seriously. It’s going to work.” 

“I’m just worried. I’m going to take the dogs out for a while. Clear my head,” he says. He gets off the couch and calls for the dogs, who come running. He gives the TV remote to Abigail before walking out the door. 

He can feel the officers eyes watching him as he takes the dogs around the back of the house and into the fields, but he ignores them and keeps walking. 

He thinks of the past week, how the high from killing Freddie only lasted a few minutes after he and Abigail dropped Hannibal off at his office the morning they went to the crime scene. 

The second he pulled away from outside the building, he felt himself start to withdraw inside his head. When his hands began to tremble against the wheel, he had to pull over and ask Abigail to drive the rest of the way home while he laid down in the backseat. When they got home, Will stumbled to the door, and up the stairs, where he took a burning hot bath, trying to come back to reality. 

It was just like how he felt following Matthew Brown’s death. He sat in the tub for hours, wishing Hannibal were there to coax him back to himself. He had no idea how long it had been when Hannibal finally opened the bathroom door, and pulled Will out of the tub.

“Abigail called me,” he had said. Will nodded and let Hannibal wrap a towel around his body and take him back into the bedroom, where they laid together for the rest of the day, Will cradled against Hannibal’s chest. 

The rest of the week went by much like the previous one had, little sleep, a lot of nightmares, and Beverly stopping by his lecture hall to see how he was doing. He told her he was having nightmares, worried about the Matthew Brown situation, didn’t want to talk about it, and she left him to sit with his head in his hands between lectures. 

If Abigail ever woke up in the middle of the night to Will screaming himself awake, she never mentioned it. Will knows the walls aren’t that thick, there’s no way it didn’t wake her, but he’s grateful she keeps it to herself. Hannibal woke up every time, never mad that his sleep was constantly interrupted, but Will could see how exhausted he was every morning. 

Now as Will walks through the fields, he wishes Hannibal were by his side. He doesn’t know how he’s going to get through the weekend without the other man sleeping close to him, and he feels dumb for feeling that way. After being alone his entire life, he figures he shouldn’t be so dependent on Hannibal, but here he is. 

He knows he shouldn’t, but he takes out his phone again and calls Hannibal. The call is picked up on the first ring. “Is everything okay, Will?”

“Yeah I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called, I know you’re busy, I just…” Will trails off, his throat growing tight, not wanting his voice to crack with emotion. 

“Will,” Hannibal says softly. “What are you doing right now?”

“Out for a walk.” He shoves one hand into his pants pocket, the other holding the phone to his ear. “Thinking.”

“Hm, thinking about what, my dear?” 

“I know it has to be done this weekend, but I wish you were here,” Wil admits, voice small. “I’ll uh, I’ll let you get back to what you’re doing. I’m sorry for calling.”

“Will. If you wish to talk, I will stay on the phone for as long as you need me,” Hannibal responds. “Even if you would prefer nothing but the sound of our breaths, it will be more important than any person I could possibly talk to here.” 

Will doesn’t know what he can say to that, but he certainly doesn’t want to hang up, so he just keeps walking in silence, phone pressed to his ear. Finally, after several minutes of silence, Will speaks. “I wish I didn’t feel this way.”

He doesn’t specify which feelings he’s talking about, but Hannibal says, “I know. I wish you didn’t feel this way, as well.” 

“I’m going to head inside now. Call me when you stop, okay?” 

“Of course. You may call me at any time before then, Will.”

“Be safe,” Will says and hangs up. 

While he is walking back to the house he gets a text from Hannibal. 

_I am going to tell Abigail where I keep the chloroform so she may put you to sleep if you wake her up with your yelling tonight._

Will shakes his head. 

_please tell me you’re joking. we don’t have chloroform right?_

Hannibal’s response comes slower, and Will is already at the door, wiping down the dogs’ paws when his phone chimes again. 

_Of course I am not serious. It is not as effective a sedation technique as it is made out to be, surely you are aware of this. No, Abigail would likely not be able to properly administer chloroform, especially if you were to fight back._

_I did leave some sleeping pills in the medicine cabinet should you require them, but I would advise not mixing them with alcohol or driving. I am certain I do not have to tell you that, though. You will be just fine without me, love. I am going to start driving now, but there are only a few days before I come back to you._

Will reads the message over and over again, smiling. He knows he probably won’t end up taking any of the pills, will just stay up all night until he’s too tired the next night and sleeps through it. He and Abigail go out for lunch, and Will resists the urge to call Hannibal the entire time. 

Back in the car, Abigail turns to Will. “Do you wish you would have killed him differently and passed it off better as self defense?”

“It would make things a lot easier now,” Will sighs. “I should have called the police instead of telling Hannibal to get rid of the body.”

“That’s kind of how I feel about Nicholas Boyle. At least they had a body to find and don’t think he’s still at large anymore,” she says, her voice sad. 

“Next time one of us has to kill someone that comes after us, Hannibal does not get to touch the body, how about that?”

Abigail laughs. “He won’t be able to resist.” 

Will shakes his head. “No he will not.” 

Hannibal calls again several hours later to tell Will he’s stopping to eat dinner, asks if everyone at home has eaten dinner, and tells Will to get some sleep. Will wants to keep him on the phone all night, but he just assured Hannibal everyone is fine at home and hangs up. 

“Hey can I borrow your car tomorrow?” Abigail asks over dinner. “I have a job interview.”

“Sure. Where at?” Will asks.

“Just some coffee shop in town. I should be home by noon.”

“That’s fine. I don’t have any plans to leave tomorrow. When Hannibal gets back I’ll talk to him about getting you a car.” 

They finish eating dinner, and Will washes the dishes while Abigail takes the dogs outside. When she comes back in, they both sit at the kitchen table playing cards. Will keeps glancing at his phone sitting on the table, waiting for a text or a call from Hannibal.

After three games, Will watches as Abigail takes out her phone, quickly types something, and stands up, saying she’s going to bed. Less than a minute after she leaves the room, Will’s phone lights up with a call from Hannibal.

“Did Abigail tell you to call me?” Will asks instead of answering with a ‘hello.’

“She may have sent me a message saying you keep looking at your phone waiting for me to call, yes.” Will can hear Hannibal smiling on the other end of the phone. “I told you that you can call me at any time, Will.”

Will sighs and rubs his free hand over his face. “I know. I don’t want to seem like I’m dependent on you.”

“You are dealing with traumatic events on your own, I would not be opposed to you needing me,” Hannibal says. “Please call me at any time. All I’m doing for the next 16 hours is driving and possibly sleeping for a few hours.”

“Okay, I’ll call you if I need you. I might try and sleep soon, so I’ll probably end up calling if I wake up,” Will tells him. “Don’t answer if you’re asleep, though. I don’t want to interrupt your sleep.”

“Nonsense, Will. You know I will answer regardless.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Sleep with the dogs tonight,” Hannibal says.

“I will. You know I will,” Will laughs. 

“Yes. Go get some sleep, dear.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“And I you.” Hannibal hangs up.

Will calls the dogs for bed after that and he crawls in, pulls the blankets to his chin and falls asleep with his cell phone clenched tightly in his fist and dogs surrounding him. He had wanted to try and stay awake but after a week of bad quality sleep, it was worth a shot to try and get as much as he could.

_The nightmare starts off like all the others had, Will killing Freddie Lounds while staring into Hannibal’s eyes. But this time, Hannibal turns into Matthew Brown, who begins to taunt Will, egg him on as he strangles the body held against his chest._

_“Come on, Will!” Matthew croons. “Oh don’t you just feel so powerful taking this life?”_

_Will doesn’t say a word to him, but Matthew keeps on going. It takes Will a minute to realize there’s no mane of fiery red hair brushing against him, but by then it’s too late and the body held to his chest is no longer fighting, no longer breathing._

_Looking down and seeing Hannibal, limp in his arms, makes Will start to scream. He drops Hannibal to the ground at his feet and falls to his knees next to him, trying to urge him to wake up but his attempts are fruitless._

_Matthew Brown skips around the two men on the floor, speaking words that Will cannot hear over his wailing. He puts his head down on Hannibal’s lifeless chest, sobbing apologies into his shirt._

He wakes up still yelling, tears streaming down his cheeks. The dogs look at him in his panicked state and he feels paralyzed, his phone still in his hand. 

His chest is pounding and he’s still crying as he slowly brings his phone up to look at while he clicks on Hannibal’s contact. _Please pick up,_ Will begs internally. 

It takes Hannibal a few rings to answer and Will thought he might not, but when Will hears Hannibal’s sleep heavy voice ring through the phone, all he can do is breathe in response. 

“Hello, Will,” Hannibal yawns. “Is everything okay?”

Will doesn’t respond, he can’t get his voice to work, but Hannibal understands. 

“You’re okay, Will. I’m here, love,” he says. But he’s not. He’s not here, and that’s the problem and Will is a grown man who can’t sleep on his own. “Can you breathe with me?” 

Hannibal starts to take deep breaths and Will does the same in time with him, his own coming out shaky and strained. He chokes out a sob on an exhale. Hannibal just whispers reassuring words to him from the other end. 

Will calms down enough after a few minutes to whisper, “Thank you.” 

“Anything for you. Would you like to tell me about it? This one must have been worse than the others.” 

Will doesn’t know how Hannibal always has a way of understanding, even when he’s not there to witness Will thrashing and screaming in his sleep. Will tells him, voice shaking and Hannibal listens. 

“I wish you didn’t have to go through that alone.” Is all Hannibal says about it. “Go make yourself some tea. You may keep me on the line as long as you need.”

“Where are you?” Will asks.

“In a motel right outside of Memphis. About 13 hours left to the border, but I will be stopping somewhat shorter than that,” Hannibal tells him. “I will be leaving the motel in another 2 hours, but I stopped to get some sleep.”

“Okay. Stay safe and come home to me as soon as possible,” Will pleads. “Go back to sleep, I’ll be okay.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

“I am,” Will confirms. “Call me at a decent hour, okay? I’m going to make some tea and take some of those sleeping pills you left and hopefully sleep until late morning.”

“Make sure you take the proper dosage.”

“Of course, Doctor Lecter,” Will smiles. “I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Goodnight, Will.”

After Will hangs up, he pulls on a robe and goes downstairs. He sees a light is already on in the kitchen and wonders if he forgot to turn it off. When he walks in through the door, he sees Abigail sitting at the kitchen table, drinking from a mug. 

“Shit. Did I wake you?” Will asks. 

Abigail shakes her head. “Already awake.” 

“Nightmare?” Will goes to the kettle on the stove and pours himself a mug. 

Abigail nods. “You, too?”

Will nods and sits down across from her at the table. “Killed Hannibal in this one.”

“I killed Nicholas Boyle just like always. One of the classic ones where Marisa sends me photos of his body and threatens to tell everyone what I did,” Abigail says, voice barely above a whisper. She takes another sip of her tea. 

“You have them often?”

“I find myself at the table almost every night.” 

“That’s why you don’t say anything when I wake up screaming, isn’t it? You’re already awake.”

Abigail nods. “Hannibal usually finds me down here.”

“He never told me.” 

Abigail shrugs. “I get through it. When I’m awake I know I can live with what I’ve done. It’s just when I’m asleep that I have problems.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Will takes a sip of tea. “When I’ve killed, I’ve felt powerful while I do it. Like it’s right and fine. Afterwards, the reality of my actions sets in. I mean you saw that firsthand last week, but Hannibal can bring me back to where I need to be. When I’m sleeping, that’s when I can’t escape because Hannibal ends up a part of the nightmares.” 

“Do you even want to be a killer, Will?”

Will can’t help but laugh. He’s been asked the exact same question by Hannibal. “It’s something I want to share with Hannibal, but it’s hard. I don’t know.” 

“I don’t think I want to be, but the world has a way of working against me. Sometimes I think I should just go with it,” Abigail says. 

“Whatever you decide, you know Hannibal and I will be with you every step of the way.”

“I know. Thanks, by the way. Talking to you is different than talking to him. With him, it’s like… He acts like he understands, but I know he doesn’t. It’s easy for him, it’s not for us.” 

“Yeah. I know what you mean.” Will finishes his tea and brings his mug to the sink. He grabs a glass from the cabinet and fills it with cold water. “I’m going back to bed. Try and get some sleep.”

“I will in a bit. Goodnight.” 

“Night.” 

Will goes back upstairs, finds the medication Hannibal left in the medicine cabinet and takes the right dosage, washing it down with the water. He then gets back into bed, surrounded by dogs and waits for the pills to kick in. 

The sun is shining through the bedroom window when he wakes up again. The dogs are nowhere to be seen and the door is open which means Abigail let them out at some point. The kitten, Donatello, is curled around Will’s head on the pillow, which means Abigail isn’t home. 

It takes him a second to realize he’s awake because his phone is ringing and he almost misses the call, but gets it on the last ring. 

“Good morning, Will,” Hannibal says. 

“Mornin, baby,” Will says. He stretches and groans. “Almost there?”

“A few more hours. I am currently in a stolen car, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and will be filling up the gas tank using Freddie’s credit card about two hours from the border.” 

“Wearing gloves, I hope,” Will says, letting out a yawn. 

“Of course.” 

“Once you dump the car, then what?” 

“I’ll get a bus back to where I parked my spare car. My Bentley is still at the hotel in Philadelphia so once I get back to Baltimore to leave my spare car, I will get several cabs back to that hotel, check out, and then come home,” Hannibal explains. “I should be home Monday morning.” 

“When you get back I’m taking the day off and we’re staying in bed all day,” Will says. “Oh hey did you know Abigail got a job interview?”

“Yes, she told me.” 

“We need to get her a car.”

“You may be right. Perhaps Tuesday after work,” Hannibal agrees. “I take it you slept well after we talked last night? You sound as though you just woke up.”

“Yeah, Abigail chloroformed me,” Will jokes. “Kidding. I did talk to Abigail last night, though. I guess we both had nightmares and found our way to the kitchen.”

“Yes, she has been doing that.” 

“Yeah.” Will doesn’t know what else to say. He doesn’t want to hang up, but he knows there’s not much else to be said over the phone. How many more times can he tell Hannibal to be safe? Or how many more times can he tell Hannibal he loves him? The words are just words at this point, no need to be spoken over and over like a broken record just because Will can’t keep it together while Hannibal’s gone. 

“I can hear you thinking, darling.” 

“I’m fine.” He suddenly doesn’t want to talk anymore. No matter how many times Hannibal reassures him, Will can’t get over the shame he feels for needing Hannibal so desperately. Instead, he decides he needs to do anything but talk to him. “I need to go take the dogs out. Call me when you’re back in your own car and on your way home.” 

“Of course. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

The dogs do not want to go outside, so Will just goes for a walk by himself, hands in his pockets. He nods when he walks past the officers sitting in their car, watching for any signs of Matthew Brown. Will can’t wait until they’re gone. Having them sitting, watching, at all hours, makes Will feel like he has done something wrong. It doesn’t help that he actually _has_ done something wrong. 

Will left his phone in the house, not wanting the constant temptation of pulling it out to call Hannibal. He knows he needs to get a hold on himself, and do so without Hannibal constantly having to pick up all of his pieces and hold them together. No matter how many times Hannibal says Will won’t ever be alone again, Will knows it’s not really true. He’s alone now. And maybe that’s not how Hannibal meant it, but he still feels like Hannibal’s statement should apply to the following days after a kill when Will needs him more than he did during the act. 

No, Will is alone with his thoughts, not even the dogs to keep him company as he wanders the fields, not even Abigail to reassure him that Hannibal’s plan will go just fine, or to call Hannibal and tell him when Will is too full of pride to admit he needs the other man. 

He walks without any direction or destination and after a while, he decides he should head back and check his phone, at least to see what time it is. When the house comes back into sight, he sees his car is back in its normal parking spot, which means Abigail is home.

The officers nod at Will when he passes and he smiles weakly, then he quickens his pace to reach the house faster. He takes the porch steps and walks in through the front door to see Abigail sitting on the ground, playing with Michelangelo. 

“How’d the interview go?” Will asks.

“I got the job. The only other person was a sixteen year old with no other job experience. I luckily had a few summer jobs in high school,” Abigail smiles. She stands up and wipes her hands off on her pants.

“Congrats. You hungry?” Will starts towards the kitchen, then remembers he should check his phone. He runs up the stairs, two at a time and grabs his phone off the nightstand in his bedroom. There’s a missed call from Hannibal, a text from Hannibal, and three missed calls from Jack.

Will checks the text first.

_You must not be near your phone, but I suspect you will be receiving a call from Jack Crawford soon. I am safely in my own car, on my way back. Call me when you are able._

Will sends a text back quickly before he has to return Jack’s call.

_lost track of time outside, sorry. i have to call jack back, then i’ll call you._

He clicks on Jack’s contact.

“Will, where have you been? I tried calling,” Jack practically yells through the phone.

“Sorry, Jack, I was outside without my phone. What’s going on?” Will sits down on his bed and runs his free hand through his hair.

“We got a sighting of Matthew Brown near the Texas-Mexico border,” Jack tells him. Will is relieved that Jack actually believes it to be Matthew. “The idiot used Freddie Lounds’ credit card to pay for gas while driving a stolen car. The car’s been dumped in Del Rio, Texas and we think he’s going to cross the border to Ciudad Acuña, Mexico if he hasn’t already.”

“What, you think he has a fake passport?” Will asks. 

“Yeah, we do. This must have been a long time in the planning. I’m beginning to think he wasn’t going to hurt you at all,” Jack says.

“He had my address. He had photos of me, Jack.” Will is amazed that Jack falls for his acting every time. All it takes is a slight tremble to his voice, and he’s a victim. He knows Jack is a smart man, he wouldn’t be in this profession if he wasn’t, but Jack is too trusting for his own good and it blinds him. 

“You want to know what I really think?” Jack asks. Will’s heart stops for a second, but he ignores the nerves and tries to sound as casual as possible.

“What?”

“I think Chilton was never going to kill you and that the guy was just truly obsessed with you. Maybe he thought it was love, but it was pure obsession. Either way, he was never going to hurt you, he just wanted you in a way he couldn’t have, so he filled that void with photos and stalking. Maybe Matthew Brown knew this, maybe he had those photos to see what Chilton saw in you, to understand better. Maybe he was keeping watch on you until he found out we were on his trail,” Jack explains. “I believe that Matthew may have seen Chilton how Chilton had seen you, and maybe he wanted to understand Chilton’s motive and his reasoning for that was something akin to jealousy, but ultimately decided his loyalty to Chilton was too strong to try and kill you.”

Will stays silent for a second, taking in Jack’s interpretation. While it’s completely wrong, it still makes perfect sense, no holes in that logic besides the one Will created when killing Matthew Brown and covering up the evidence. 

“Will?” Jack asks when Will doesn’t speak for almost a minute.

“Yeah, I’m here. Uh,” Will sighs. “Sorry, that is a lot to take in.”

“I know, Will. Sorry to dump all of this on you right now, I know you’re bothered by this whole situation,” Jack apologizes. _You have no idea_ , Will thinks. Jack keeps going. “And I’m sure with Hannibal away for the weekend, you’ve likely felt less safe in your own home.”

“You have no idea,” Will says out loud this time. It’s true, he’s felt less safe, though not in the house, and not for the reasons Jack thinks, but in his mind for reasons he can’t tell him. “So… what does this mean then? He goes to Mexico, he’s out of our jurisdiction. Do you think he might come back?”

“If he does, we’ll catch him. We’ve sent his photo everywhere near the border, but we think it might have been too late to catch him leaving. If he tries coming back, though, we’ll know.”

“Well, that’s good news for me, I guess. Not really great news if he starts killing in Mexico, too.”

“It would make me sound terrible if I said ‘not our problem,’ but I may have to,” Jack says. “We’ve got enough going on around here, we don’t need to worry about him. I’m going to keep the officers outside our house for a few more days just in case, but I believe you may be out of the woods, Will.” 

“Thank god,” Will sighs in relief. 

“Thank god is right. Maybe you’ll get some sleep now.”

“Hopefully. Shit, I hate how relieved I am. It’s selfish, that’s for sure.”

“You’ve had a rough several months, with the encephalitis, and then the Ripper stuff, and now this. You’re allowed to be selfish after this long.”

“Thanks, Jack.” Will means it, too. He knows Jack genuinely cares about him, and he feels a pang of guilt at how he’s led Jack on a wild goose chase. “Hey, I gotta go call Hannibal. He tried reaching me while I was away from my phone. Call me if you find anything else out, okay?”

“Will do. I was going to call him myself to tell him the situation, but I’m sure you can do that.”

“Yeah, I can. Bye, Jack.”

There’s a knock on the open door and he looks up to see Abigail.

“You ran up here and didn’t come back, just making sure everything’s okay,” she explains. 

“Yeah, sorry. My phone was up here. Jack called,” Will grins. Abigail raises an eyebrow. “They really think it was Matthew Brown at the border.”

“That’s great. Have you talked to Hannibal yet?”

Will shakes his head. “I was about to call him now.”

“Alright, I’m going to go make something for lunch, then.”

Will nods and she walks back downstairs. Will sprawls out on the bed sideways when he calls Hannibal.

“Hello, darling,” Hannibal answers.

Will smiles wide. “I just talked to Jack. We’re in the clear.”

“That is wonderful to hear. I trust you are quite relieved by that,” Hannibal says. 

“Yeah,” Will breathes out. “Now you just have to make it home.”

“And I will. I am slightly ahead of schedule and should be arriving back in Philadelphia late tomorrow night. I should be home before you even wake up Monday morning.”

“Good. I miss you a lot.”

“I know, dear. I have missed you, as well. Never did I think I would find someone that it is painful to be away from, but then you walked into my life.”

“Stop that.” 

“Absolutely not. You deserve to hear how much you mean to me, Will.”

“Okay, well. I’m going to hang up on you now. Abigail and I are going to eat soon.”

“Oh, before you go. How did Abigail’s interview go?” 

“Why don’t you call her and ask? I’m sure she’ll like to hear from you.”

Hannibal agrees to call her, they exchange ‘I love you’s’ and then hang up. 

Will walks downstairs, tells Abigail that Hannibal is going to call her, and then takes over the cooking when she goes to answer. The rest of the night goes by slowly. They both take the dogs out, they eat dinner, they play a few rounds of Scrabble, then sit down in front of the TV to watch a movie.

Will ends up falling asleep on the couch, and when he wakes up he finds that Abigail put a blanket over him before she went to bed. Donatello is sitting on his chest, head tilted to one side in confusion as to why he’s sleeping on the couch.

“Did Abigail lock you out of her room?” Will asks the cat sleepily. The cat stretches and moves so he can knead at Will’s stomach. Will decides not to move and falls back asleep to the soft rumble of the kitten’s purring. It’s the first night in a while that nightmares don’t come, and he thinks in the morning that he should have gotten a cat a long time ago. 

When he wakes up, he calls Hannibal to tell him about his discovery.

“Hm, I was wondering why you didn’t call me last night. I thought perhaps you didn’t want to bother me, but I see now you just did not need me,” Hannibal says. Will knows he doesn’t mean it to sound like he’s jealous or sad about it, but his word choice surely makes it seem that way. “Donatello slept on your chest to ensure you kept breathing, and in turn his purring helped keep you calm. Maybe you should get a kitten of your own instead of stealing Abigail’s.”

“We’ll see. There are already eight animals in this house, not including yourself,” Will laughs. “We’re going to run out of space if we get a new animal every week.”

“We will be just fine if we get one more cat. I already leave the house with enough fur on me to create six more, so one more will not hurt at all,” Hannibal says. Will can hear him smiling through the phone. 

“Maybe I’ll go get one today. Abigail and I can go when she wakes up,” Will suggests. He mostly wants to see if Hannibal is bluffing. 

“Very well. Make sure to buy another litter box, of course.”

“Of course.”

So when Abigail gets up an hour later, Will tells her about his conversation with Hannibal, and they find an animal shelter. 

They see two kittens curled around each other in one cage and look at each other, knowing they needed to get both. Will decides he can wait to tell Hannibal they brought home two until after he gets home, and they take them home. They sit in Abigail’s lap and Will leaves them in the car while he runs into a pet supply store. He gets everything they’ll need and without even discussing it with Abigail, he makes the collar tags at the machine, giving them the names Rafael and Leonardo with a huge grin on his face.

The rest of the day goes by with the new cats exploring the house with either Will or Abigail watching them carefully. The dogs pay no attention to the new additions to the family, but Donatello plays with them. Will is glad the house isn’t a warzone. 

Will gets into bed that night, remembering it will only be a few more hours until Hannibal gets home, and he falls asleep to both kittens purring on his chest. He wakes up to the dogs barking excitedly downstairs, Hannibal’s voice telling them to be quiet and Will wants to jump out of bed and run down the stairs to greet him, but he doesn’t. Instead he waits, listens to the jingle of keys being set on the counter, and the creak of the stairs when Hannibal starts walking up them. 

The bedroom door opens and shuts again, and Will pretends he’s still asleep as Hannibal toes off his shoes, and takes off his clothes, the garments hitting the floor. He hears Hannibal hum a sound that almost sounds disapproving, and Will knows it’s about the two cats asleep on his chest. Will finally opens his eyes and smiles when the bed dips on Hannibal’s side. 

“I said one,” Hannibal whispers, leaning down to kiss Will. He lays down next to him and turns to face him. 

“They were a bonded pair. We couldn’t just get one,” Will explains. “Leonardo and Rafael.”

“I know you think I don’t know, but I am not entirely out of touch with pop culture, Will. I know our animals are named after cartoon mutant turtles that are proficient in martial arts while also being teenagers.”

Will laughs and the rumble of his chest disrupts the kittens’ sleep and they jump off his chest to go lay somewhere else. “I missed you.”

“I know, I missed you too. Come here,” Hannibal whispers and holds open his arms for Will, who goes willingly into them, letting out a content sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter! I am worried this was boring, because honestly? Not a whole lot of action happens. Still, it was important I write this chapter and these events in the way that I did to show the emotions correctly, and I really hope I did show those correctly. Please leave comments and kudos!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has smut. This is my first time ever writing smut. I hope it's alright lmao. (Also I bumped the rating up)

Hannibal pulls Will close and they lay with limbs tangled together. Neither man says a word for a long time, the only sounds are their hearts and their breathing. Eventually the kittens come back onto the bed and lay across both of their bodies. There is obviously something on Will’s mind, Hannibal can always tell when there is, but after driving for nearly the entire weekend, with a total of six hours of sleep, Hannibal isn’t going to ask if Will doesn’t already want to tell. Hannibal is about to fall asleep when Will starts talking again. 

“Sorry, but I can’t stop thinking about this. How do you know about the animals’ names?” Will asks. “Like seriously, I would not expect you to sit down and watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

“You are correct, I have never seen any of the media they are characters in, but I have had to do some research for my work,” Hannibal answers. He knows he shouldn’t tell Will the rest of the story, it’s a violation of doctor-patient confidentiality, but at this point in time, Hannibal feels as though they have already crossed too many lines, and one more harmless line will not come back to bite him. 

“What do they have to do with psychiatric work? Or do you mean murder?”

Hannibal laughs. “No, I do not mean murder. I had a patient who… somewhat related to what those characters were.”

“How so?” Will asks. “Wait. I’m sure you can’t tell me.”

“It hardly matters. It is not as though you will ever meet him,” Hannibal says. “This patient had a strong case of species dysphoria, he said to me that he believed he was born as the wrong species. The concept of the Ninja Turtles came up because he thought it would help me understand better. It honestly did not. I didn’t know if he wanted to be a human-bear hybrid or just a bear in general.” 

“That… is interesting.” 

“That is one way to describe this, yes,” Hannibal agrees. Hannibal runs his fingers through Will’s hair and rubs his other hand up and down Will’s back. “I am very tired darling.”

“Sleep. You’re staying home all day, right?” 

“Yes. You as well?” 

“Mhm.” Will scoots even closer to Hannibal’s body so he’s practically laying on top of him. “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back,” Hannibal yawns. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Hannibal doesn’t wake up during the night to Will’s nightmares. He doesn’t know if it is because he is so exhausted that he sleeps through them, or if Will isn’t having any. The first time he wakes up is to the sound of a knock on their bedroom door and Will answers the knock with a “Yeah?”

“I was wondering if Hannibal’s making breakfast today, but it seems not likely,” Abigail says. “I’m going to make something, did you want anything?”

“No, but thanks. Did you put the dogs out?” Will asks. 

“Yeah, fed them too.”

“Thanks, Abigail.”

Hannibal hears her retreating footsteps.

“I know you’re awake,” Will whispers. 

Hannibal raises his head from where it’s laying in Will’s lap. His arms are wrapped around Will’s waist while Will is sitting up against the headboard. There’s a book in one of his hands, the other sitting on Hannibal’s back, right between his shoulder blades. 

“I will not be for long,” Hannibal mumbles, dropping his head back down. “What are you reading?”

“Just something about fishing. Nothing you would be interested in.”

“I am always interested in your hobbies,” Hannibal yawns. “Lay back down with me and go back to sleep.”

Will sighs, places his book down on the bedside table, then removes his glasses and sets them on top of the book. Hannibal rolls off of him for a second so Will can lay down, then makes the decision to lay on his side, facing away from Will. As he turns, he tugs Will with him by a hand and drops it so Will’s arm is around his waist. 

“Mm, you could have just told me you wanted to be the little spoon. No need to pull on me like that.”

“I don’t understand why you would expect me to use that word choice when maneuvering you into the position I want is sufficient.”

Will laughs and kisses the back of Hannibal’s neck. “Go back to sleep. You’re annoying this morning.” 

Sleep doesn’t come as easily as he had hoped it would and while he tries to drift back off, Hannibal thinks. He thinks about how different his life has become in a matter of months, all because of the man pressed to his back. There was never a possibility for true love before Will came along. Hannibal was hung up on the idea that someone like himself could never be loved for who he really is, but Will proved otherwise. 

Will proves every day that Hannibal is capable of loving and being loved. His transformation from a lone killer who didn’t need friends, to who he is now: a lover, practically a father, someone who was missed because of a three day separation, someone who missed back because of said separation, someone who loves the dogs he lives with, doesn’t mind putting off killing so he and those he holds dear can build their life. 

He doesn’t feel guilty for the plans he originally had for Will, but he is grateful he didn’t follow through with them. Things may not be moving the way Hannibal thought they would, Will is still having a hard adjustment into the life of a killer, but they are together. Had Hannibal followed through, he knows it may not have given him the same result. 

Where would they be now? Hannibal would have gotten Will out of prison, but would Will have known it was him? Would he go to Jack, would he feign loyalty to Hannibal to get him caught? Hannibal tries to push those thoughts from his mind. He knows it is best not to dwell on what could have been, but when he is given time to think, and he had plenty of that over the weekend, the thoughts of his plans plague his mind. Now, Will laying behind him, holding him tight, the thoughts resurface because he’s reminded of what he has, but almost didn’t. 

Hannibal feels lips against his neck again, dotting kisses all over skin. The arm draped over his body starts to shift, the hand rubbing up and down Hannibal’s stomach.

“Whatever you’re thinking about, stop,” Will says with another kiss to Hannibal’s neck. 

“How often do I say that to you and get the response that you cannot shut it off?” Hannibal muses. 

“Fair point.” Another kiss. The hand on his stomach starts to go lower, fingers dancing along the waistband of his underwear. “Would you let me distract you, then?” Will whispers into his neck, breath warm. 

“Please,” Hannibal whispers. He turns his face so he can meet Will’s lips with his own, sighing into his mouth. Will’s hand slides below Hannibal’s waistband and fingers wrap around Hannibal’s cock. Hannibal lets out a low groan as Will begins to slowly stroke him and Will’s other hand snakes under Hannibal’s head and covers his mouth. 

“Shh, keep the noises down,” Will whispers. Hannibal bites the hand over his mouth. Will responds with a pained moan. “Fuck! Why would you do that?” 

“Keep the noises down, Will,” Hannibal mimics. 

Will removes his hand from Hannibal’s cock and Hannibal growls at the loss. Will sits up and glares down at him, crossing his arms.“Jesus Christ, Hannibal. You are such a bitch sometimes, you know that? We don’t live alone, I was just giving you a fucking warning not to be loud.” 

Hannibal rolls over into his back and looks up at Will. “I was not going to be loud, so you did not need to put your hand over my mouth to prove your point.” 

Hannibal rolls over on his side to face Will and runs a hand up Will’s thigh. Will looks down at the hand. “We haven’t had sex in, what, two weeks? And you decide to bite me the first time we get the chance? And not even in a hot way, but in a ‘I eat people,’ kind of way. And now you’re running a hand up my thigh to what? Get me to keep touching you?”

“Is it working?” Hannibal asks, moving his hand to palm Will through his boxers. 

Will’s breath hitches in his throat and before Hannibal can even process the movement, Will has pushed him back onto his back and is on top of him, straddling his hips. “Yes.” Will leans down and kisses Hannibal, Hannibal’s hands grip Will’s hips and pulls down so they’re grinding together. Will gasps and Hannibal groans at the friction. 

Hannibal pushes down at Will’s waistband and Will climbs off of Hannibal to stand next to the bed and remove his boxers. Hannibal lifts his hips off the mattress and pushes his own down, pulling them off without getting off the bed. 

He looks Will up and down where he stands naked next to the bed, mind getting lost while his eyes travel up and down Will’s body. The scar tissue on his shoulder from where he was stabbed, scratches that have to be from the new kittens, various other scars that Will’s gotten from years of law enforcement, fishing accidents, and stray dogs. Each mark tells a different story.

Will shakes his head. “Stop staring at me.”

“Mm, but darling, you are such a beautiful sight.” And he is. The way Will stands there, his cheeks growing red from the attention, not knowing just how he looks. The way he gets flustered when Hannibal compliments his appearance just makes him even more enticing. Hannibal reaches out for him to come back to the bed, and Will does. 

Will climbs back over Hannibal’s and leans down to kiss Hannibal again, biting at his bottom lip when he pulls away. 

There’s a knock on the door.

“Shit,” Will hisses and throws himself off of Hannibal and lays down next to him, pulling the blankets over them both. “Yeah?”

Luckily Abigail doesn’t open the door. Hannibal thinks she likely knows what is going on. “I’m taking the car. I need to get a pair of shoes for my new job,” she calls through the closed door. 

“Did you need money?” Hannibal asks. Hannibal decides that she definitely knows what is going on and that she’s leaving the house so she doesn’t have to listen. “My wallet should be on the kitchen counter, take whatever cash is in there.” He knows there is way more than enough cash for a pair of shoes, but he really does not want to have to get out of bed to give her the correct amount. 

“Okay, thanks.” Abigail walks away from the door and both Hannibal and Will do not move a single muscle or say a single word until they hear the front door open and shut. 

Will puts his face down on Hannibal’s stomach and laughs. “Okay. Maybe it’s a good thing you bit me or else we would’ve been in an even more compromising position by now.”

“She did not even open the door, it’s fine,” Hannibal says. Hannibal runs his fingers through the hair on the back of Will’s head

“No, but she could have.”

“But she didn’t,” Hannibal argues. “Now please stop hiding your face. It is just us now.” Hannibal looks down at the floor, the two kittens sitting on the hardwood, looking up at them. “And your feline friends, it seems.” 

Will lifts his head from Hannibal’s stomach and looks down at the floor. “So it would seem.” 

Several minutes go by where neither man makes an attempt to continue what they were doing, and just as Hannibal begins to think Will doesn’t want to, he feels a hand sliding under the blanket and up his thigh. 

Hannibal pushes the blankets onto the floor and rolls them both over so Hannibal is on his hands and knees over Will. As Hannibal leans down to kiss Will, Will’s hands travel down Hannibal’s back and stop at his ass to squeeze. Hannibal drops his hips so their cocks rub together, and Will removes a hand from Hannibal’s ass to take them both in his hand. 

Will begins to stroke both of their cocks together and Hannibal drops his forehead to Will’s and lets out a soft moan. “I missed you.”

“You have no idea how much I missed you,” Will whispers. Hannibal thrusts into Will’s hand and Will bites back a moan at the slide of their cocks. 

“Mm. You can be loud, it’s just us.” Hannibal thrusts his hips again and this time Will doesn’t try to suppress his noises. Hannibal kisses him again, drinking in the noises that fall from Will’s mouth. Hannibal runs his hands down Will’s flanks, over the thighs gripping his hips, feeling the muscles that only he gets to touch. “You’re so beautiful.” 

Will ignores the compliment. “Are we going to fuck, or just do this?” He doesn’t wait for Hannibal’s answer before he’s wrapping his arms around his torso and rolling them over again. “I want to fuck you.”

Hannibal smiles and spreads his legs so Will can kneel between them. He loves hearing Will take charge and ask for what he wants. It takes away so much of the guesswork when it comes to pleasing a partner. “Of course, darling. Anything.” 

Will reaches over and opens the drawer of the nightstand to pull out the lube and Hannibal watches him as he slicks up his fingers. Hannibal grabs a pillow and puts it under his hips to give Will better access and when he feels one slick finger enter him his breath hitches. 

“Shh, relax, love,” Will soothes before adding another finger. He runs his other hand up Hannibal’s thigh and over his stomach, and Hannibal reaches for his hand and pulls him forward just a bit so he can kiss his knuckles. He looks the hand over, the one that was cut on Matthew’s teeth, and shakes his head.

“You’ve been picking at these scabs, haven’t you?” Hannibal doesn’t wait for a response. “These would be healing a lot better by now if you didn’t do that, love.”

“Can’t help it,” Will shrugs. Hannibal moans when Will’s fingers brush his prostate, keeping him from further commenting on Will’s hand for the moment. _So, it’s not something Will wants to talk about, then,_ Hannibal thinks. 

“Ahh. I know, darling, I am just speaking as a doctor. I apologize.” He places another kiss across each knuckle before bringing both of their hands to rest on Hannibal’s stomach. Hannibal just sees injuries from kills as another part of the game, and forgets that Will is nowhere near having the same emotional detachment to murder as himself. He must be nervously picking at his wounds, and Hannibal realizes he hasn’t been observant enough. He makes a mental note to keep an eye out for this, at any sign of distress from Will, from now on.

Will ignores his words to continue stretching Hannibal with his fingers, pulling a series of moans from Hannibal’s lips. 

“I’m ready, dear,” Hannibal tells him. 

“You’re sure?” Will asks, not removing his fingers. Hannibal nods, but Will says, “It’s been a while, Hannibal, are you sure?”

“Just fuck me, already,” Hannibal growls. 

“You know I can’t resist when you swear like that. Fuck,” Will laughs. He pulls his fingers out and Hannibal hisses at the loss. Will leans down, kissing his lips, then his chin, jaw, neck. 

“Come on, then.” Will whispers and lays down on his back next to Hannibal and Hannibal gets the hint and moves to kneel with a knee on both sides of Will’s body. He takes hold of Will’s cock and slowly sinks down onto it until he’s fully seated, then he leans forward and puts his elbows on either side of Will’s head to draw his mouth in for a kiss. Hannibal lets himself get adjusted to the size and then slowly lifts up again. 

As Hannibal moves, he can’t help the noises that fall from his mouth. It’s been too long since he and Will have been sexually intimate, with both of them too tired the last few weeks to initiate anything other than a few lazy kisses before bed. 

Will digs his heels into the mattress and thrusts up to meet Hannibal and Hannibal starts to suck bruises into Will’s neck. Hannibal’s own cock is aching between their stomachs and he reaches between them to give himself a few strokes before Will’s phone starts ringing on the bedside table. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Will groans. “Can we stop getting interrupted, please?” 

“So eager,” Hannibal whispers, and gives Will a quick kiss. Without pulling off of Will’s cock, Hannibal leans over and grabs the phone of the nightstand. He’s about to reject the call, but sees the contact name and hits accept. “Hello, Jack.”

Will looks up at him with an expression that can only be interpreted as ‘What the fuck are you doing please don’t talk to my boss while I’m in the middle of fucking you,’ but Hannibal ignores him and puts a hand over Will’s mouth with an expression that he hopes says ‘bite me and see what happens.’ 

“Oh hey, Hannibal. Is Will there?”

Hannibal shifts on Will and Will would have cried out if Hannibal hadn’t put the hand over his mouth. “Oh sorry, Will is currently indisposed at the moment, but I can have him call you at his earliest convenience.” 

“That would be great. How was your trip, by the way?” 

“Oh it was quite boring, actually. There is not a lot more for me to learn about psychiatric care that I cannot learn through books or the internet,” Hannibal says. Will looks like he’s about to grab the phone and tell Jack to fuck off, growing more impatient by the second. “It was quite pleasant to see some old colleagues, but I actually just stayed in my hotel room for a large portion of the convention. Oh! Before I forget, Will told me that you had a sighting of Matthew Brown at the border. That was a relief to hear.” 

Hannibal smirks at Will, ready to keep this conversation going as long as Jack wants.

“Hannibal,” Will warns. His voice is only slightly muffled by the hand over his mouth. 

“Oh, was that Will?” Jack asks. 

“Yes, he’s right here. Darling, it’s Jack, he wishes to speak to you.” Hannibal grins at Will and hands him the phone. Will is shaking his head frantically but Hannibal just shoves the phone into his hand, then puts both hands on Will’s chest. 

“Uh hey, Jack, what’s up?” 

Hannibal begins to move again, and Will’s eyes widen in panic. Will’s free hand flies out to try and keep Hannibal’s hips stationary, but it doesn’t work. Hannibal leans down and bites Will’s collarbone and Will yelps. 

“No yeah, I’m fine. Can I actually call you back later?” There’s a pause. “Yeah I’ll be at Quantico tomorrow.” Pause. Hannibal’s teeth clamp down on his neck and Will’s hand flies to his mouth to stifle the moan. “Yeah I can stop by the lab, sure. I really have to go now, though. Bye Jack.” 

Will throws the phone down on the bedside table and glares at Hannibal, still moving on Will’s cock. “You bastard.” Will brings his arms around Hannibal and flips them so he’s on top, Hannibal wraps his legs around Will’s waist so Will can fuck into him deeper. “You want Jack to hear us? Does that excite you, or some shit?” 

“I like for everyone to know that you are mine.” Hannibal angles his chin and parts his lips so Will can lean down for another kiss. 

Will pulls away from Hannibal’s mouth. “Jack is not going to steal me from you,” Will laughs and attaches his lips to his neck instead, and Hannibal knows he’s going to be left with bruises, the way Will bites and sucks. Normally he would tell him not to, but he decides he can just wear a scarf to his appointments tomorrow. Will pulls back to look at Hannibal’s neck. “There. Now everyone can know that _you_ are _mine_.”

In this moment, giving Will what he wants feels more important than his patients giving him odd glances because of a few hickeys that show above his collar. Hannibal just tilts his head farther to give Will better access to his neck. Hannibal’s hands fist the sheets while Will fucks him, the sounds of moans and groans and chants of each other’s names fall from both of their mouths. 

It’s hard for Hannibal’s mind not to wander again, to think about how he doesn’t deserve what he has, doesn’t deserve the man who is currently uncurling Hannibal’s fingers from the sheets so Will can hold both of Hannibal’s hands in his own on the pillow next to Hannibal’s head. Will leans down again and kisses both of Hannibal’s cheeks, where tears are starting to roll down.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Will asks, voice low and rough. He slows his pace, but Hannibal tightens his legs around Will’s waist, encouraging him to keep moving. 

Hannibal shakes his head. “Nothing. You are perfect.”

Will kisses Hannibal on the mouth, soft and tender. “You would tell me if something was wrong, right?”

Hannibal nods honestly. “Of course, my love. Nothing is wrong, I just love you beyond belief.”

Another kiss. “I love you too, Hannibal.” Will puts his head in the crook of Hannibal’s neck and thrusts harder, faster. “I’m close, darlin.’” 

Will reaches between their bodies and strokes Hannibal’s cock in time with his thrusts, his other hand still holding one of Hannibal’s own next to their heads. Hannibal comes with Will’s name on his lips, head thrown back against the pillow, and his other hand tangled in Will’s hair, leaving a sticky mess between both of their stomachs. Will follows shortly after and keeps fucking Hannibal through his orgasm, moaning into his neck. 

Hannibal wraps his arms around Will as he collapses down onto him. “We should shower before Abigail gets home,” Will murmurs into Hannibal’s neck. He tilts his head to kiss along Hannibal’s jaw. 

“Very well,” Hannibal agrees. Will rolls off of him and flops on his back on the other side of the bed. 

“Carry me?”

“You don’t like when I carry you,” Hannibal laughs. Hannibal rolls off the bed and goes to the closet, picking out a set of pajamas for the both of them, and carrying them out into the hall and to the bathroom. He goes back into the bedroom to see Will still laying on his back. 

He looks like a painting the way his arms are raised above his head on the pillow, one knee bent so his legs are slightly spread. Purpling bruises litter his neck and collarbone, and Hannibal knows his own neck likely looks the same. Will’s skin is still flushed, sweat gleaming across his chest and forehead, Hannibal’s come smeared across his stomach. He turns his head to look at Hannibal from under his eyelashes. Hannibal’s mouth nearly waters at the sight of the man in their bed. 

“Like what you see?” Will asks, an eyebrow raised. 

“You are well aware that I do. Come on, my love.” Hannibal moves forward and gets his arms under Will’s shoulders and knees to pick him up, just as he had asked. 

Once in the shower, they wash each other. Will runs a soapy hand up and down Hannibal’s chest, over his shoulders, down his stomach, kissing his neck lightly as he does so.

“Did I provide a good enough distraction?” Will asks. Hannibal turns him around so he can lather shampoos into his curls. Will moans quietly and pushes his head into Hannibal’s hands. 

“Yes, thank you,” Hannibal says. “Well, not entirely, but not in a way that means I was unsatisfied with you, but rather you were what I had been thinking about.”

Will hums. “I’ve never asked because I hate to push, but…” he trails off. 

Hannibal leans down and presses a kiss to Will’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“Why do you cry during sex? Don’t answer that if you don’t want to.” 

Hannibal turns Will back around and brings hands to cup his cheeks. “I never thought I could have someone in the way I have you. It was never a possibility until you walked into my life. When we were going on those first dates, though not real, I found myself yearning for your love, but the reason why I was unable to simply ask you out was because I didn’t think it was an option.” 

Hannibal brings his face forward so their foreheads touch. He speaks softly, only just audible over the sound of the shower’s spray. “So, Will, when we are intimate, I cannot help but think of everything I have, but almost didn’t. So, that is why. I find myself rarely overwhelmed by anything, but my love for you is quite overpowering.” 

“I still have a hard time wrapping my head around your feelings for me. Surely you’ve never felt this way for anyone else, so why me?” Will asks. 

“I really do not have a full answer. I just know that you are different from everyone else,” Hannibal whispers. He brings his lips millimeters from Will’s, a ghost of a kiss, just barely there. “You see me, know me in a way that no one else ever has or ever will,” he says against Will’s lips. He doesn’t fully connect them and instead turns Will again so he can finish washing his hair. 

“You know I have never loved anyone as I love you, right? I just want to make that known,” Will says, dropping his head back to rest on Hannibal’s shoulder. 

“I know, Will.” 

By the time they finish showering, are dressed in fresh pajamas, and their hair is dry, Abigail still isn’t home. Hannibal checks his phone and can’t help but laugh at the message.

_call me when you guys are done and it’s safe to come home. next time at least wait until I’m asleep or give me a ten minute warning to leave the house._

“What’s funny?” Will asks, sitting down next to him on the couch. Hannibal hands his phone over so Will can read the message. “I told you to stay quiet and you just _had_ to bite me. Jesus, she probably feels so uncomfortable.”

“There was well over $200 in my wallet that is now hers. I am sure she will be just fine. Not to mention I believe this is not the worst trauma she has.” 

“That’s not funny,” Will says, poking Hannibal in the ribs. 

“No, maybe not.” Hannibal hits Abigail’s contact and she answers right away. “Abigail, you may come home now.”

“Alright, good. Are you making lunch or should I stop and get something?” 

Hannibal is appalled that she would even suggest such a thing. “I will prepare lunch shortly, yes.”

“Okay, I’ll be home soon, then.” 

Hannibal hangs up and turns to Will. “She seems fine, dear.” 

When Abigail gets home, Hannibal is nearly finished making lunch. She tries to give him the remaining cash back but he shakes his head and puts it back in her hand, earning a giant grin. 

“You got your shoes, yes?” Hannibal asks, putting plates down on the table for her and Will.

She nods, taking a bite. 

“And when do you start?” Hannibal smiles. 

“Thursday.”

“Very well. We will get you a car Wednesday, then.”

Abigail smiles and continues to eat her lunch. 

The next morning, Will wakes up when Hannibal’s alarm goes off. He tries to hold Hannibal in bed for longer and Hannibal has to physically remove Will’s arms from around his stomach so he can leave the bed. While he’s looking in the closet for a suit, Will comes up behind him and starts to kiss the back of his neck, arms making their way around his waist. Hannibal feels Will’s hard cock pressing against his ass and it takes all of Hannibal’s self restraint to not take Will back to bed and fuck him into the mattress. 

“Sorry, darling, but I really do have to get dressed and go.” 

“Fine.” Will goes back to lay in bed and Hannibal continues to pull his clothes out of the closet. When he turns around again, he sees Will has already fallen back asleep. Hannibal makes sure Will’s alarm is set for the right time, and bends down to kiss his cheek before leaving. 

Hannibal thinks about Will the entire drive to Baltimore and when his first patient is late to her appointment, he can’t help but wish he had stayed for a few more minutes. When she finally arrives, apologizing profusely about traffic, Hannibal barely even listens. If it weren’t too risky to kill at the moment, he probably would’ve added her to his list. Instead he just smiles and tells her it’s perfectly fine.

She eyes his neck and Hannibal realizes he forgot to cover it up. She says, “I didn’t know you were married.”

“I’m not, though I do live with my boyfriend,” Hannibal says simply. “I apologize for the unprofessionalism, I seem to have forgotten a scarf.”

“Not to worry, it happens to everyone at one point or another,” she says, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

The rest of his appointments start off in a similar manner, but he doesn’t care. That is exactly what Will had wanted, for everyone to know who Hannibal belongs to. Hannibal wonders if Will is getting the same comments and glances at Quantico. Surely he is. 

When he arrives home, Abigail is outside with the dogs, and Will is in the shower. Hannibal goes up and joins him, stepping in behind him and kissing along his shoulders and the back of his neck, bringing his hands around to rub up and down his stomach and chest.

“My first patient was fifteen minutes late today,” Hannibal says into Will’s neck.

“How rude.”

“Very. I could have given you a hand this morning had I known I didn’t need to leave right away,” Hannibal smiles. 

“Give me one now, then.” Will brings Hannibal’s hand down to his hardening cock, and Hannibal obliges. He ends up fucking Will right there, against the shower wall, a hand over Will’s mouth to keep him quiet. Will doesn’t dare bite Hannibal’s hand. They don’t take their time like they had the morning before, knowing they need to finish and get clean again before they can be interrupted. 

By the time they are out of the shower and dressed again, Hannibal decides it’s time to start making dinner. 

The next day after work, as promised, they take Abigail to look at cars. Abigail ends up choosing a light blue Volkswagen Beetle, and Will decides it’s safe enough, and Abigail decides it’s cool enough, and Hannibal decides he’s happy as long as both of them are, too. Abigail drives it home on her own, and Hannibal and Will stop at the grocery store to find something for dinner, then the pet store to buy more cat toys and a scratching post. The kittens have all taken to scratching at their furniture, and two mornings previous, Hannibal had seen the scratches across Will’s body and decided it was necessary.

In the coming weeks, they all discuss possible plans for their new house. Hannibal says he would prefer the same sort of first floor layout of his Baltimore home, with the basement having trap doors in the pantry and in the study. Will says that’s perfectly fine with him, just as long as they can have a comfortable living room on the first floor, too. Hannibal decides the dining room should be bigger than his old one, that the upstairs should have two bedrooms on opposite sides of the house, both with ensuites. Another room in between them for the dogs.

Contractors are called, architects, and everyone else they need to get this underway. Now without the threat of Matthew Brown lingering over their heads, and with Abigail settled in and feeling at home, things fall into a comfortable life. 

Abigail starts working evenings, which leaves them free for Hannibal and Will to have the house to themselves most nights after work. On the nights Abigail is home, they all eat dinner together and watch movies, or play boardgames, or ignore each other, much like a normal family. 

Every night, Will curls up next to him, with a different animal or four in the bed with them, and they fall asleep together, sometimes waking from Will’s nightmares and sharing a mug of tea afterwards, sometimes sleeping through the night. Hannibal always makes sure Will falls back asleep before he does, just in case Will can’t drift off again. He doesn’t mind taking a break from killing because it means he can continue to build this life. 

Hannibal is constantly wondering how he got so lucky. How he got so lucky that someone loves him and finds safety in him, even knowing who he really is. How he got so lucky that his plans have worked out thus far. How lucky he is that he’s happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, leave comments and kudos!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one, but I didn't know where to end it. Absolutely not proofread, but mistakes will get fixed in the coming days. Enjoy!

Two months have passed since Hannibal’s trip, the weather starts to turn cooler again, and Will stops having nightmares every night. He hasn’t killed anyone since Freddie Lounds, and neither has Hannibal. It almost feels like their little family, with Abigail and all of their pets, is actually normal. 

Almost normal, but not quite because the concrete foundation for their new house has been poured, the murder-basement-to-be is exposed to the elements and Hannibal worries about someone coming along and seeing that it’s there. He paid a bit of money to keep it off the blue prints, and for the builders to work quickly to ensure no one sees it, but here it is, out for everyone to see. 

This puts Hannibal in a stressed mood, and Will only knows a few different ways to lower Hannibal’s stress levels. With murder not being an option, he turns to distracting him with sex. It only works half of the time for stress relief. Luckily, though, it works the night before Will has an absolutely terrible day, which puts Hannibal in a better headspace than Will is in. 

And Will _is_ having an absolutely terrible day. He wakes up and finds out his phone didn’t charge overnight, so he only has twenty percent battery to get through the day. Two of those percentages get taken when Jack calls him to ask if he can go to Baltimore to consult on a case with the local PD, which Will accepts begrudgingly. He puts his charger in his pocket and hopes the adapter is still in his car.

Hannibal has already left for work, and didn’t even give Will a goodbye kiss, which sours Will’s mood even more. He knows Hannibal likely just didn’t want to rouse his sleep now that the sleep he gets is of a better quality, but it still makes him unhappy. There’s coffee in the pot, which Will is grateful for, but then he hears a dog gagging in the living room. In order to get to the dog in time before it vomits, he moves quickly and knocks the mug he poured for himself off the counter and it splashes on his pants as it goes down. 

With coffee all over his pants, he can’t even bring himself to care about reaching the dog in time, so Michelangelo vomits all over the rug in the living room and Will makes a mental note that he needs to limit the dog’s treat intake. He changes his pants, then stands outside Abigail’s door for a second before ultimately deciding he does not have time to clean up the mess downstairs himself, so he knocks.

Abigail is not necessarily happy that she has to wake up on her day off to clean up dog vomit, but she does it anyway and Will slips her a twenty dollar bill for her troubles. He shouldn’t have done that because he sets his wallet down on the counter after that to pour himself another cup of coffee, this time a travel mug with a lid, then runs out the door, forgetting his wallet where it sits. Not only that, but he finds the charger for his car is missing and remembers Hannibal borrowed it and never returned it.

When he realizes he doesn’t have his wallet, he’s already in Baltimore, only a few minutes away from the scene and they’re expecting him any minute. When he gets to the scene, it’s a copycat Ripper killing and Will just sighs. He tells the officers what he knows, which isn’t much because it’s a terrible recreation, but the officer nearest him keeps insisting it is exact. It’s nowhere near. There’s also no way of knowing if this killer will kill again, and even less evidence that they’ll kill like this again. They don’t like what he has to say at all, and Will snaps, telling them they’re wasting his time. He hates working with local law enforcement. 

He’s fuming, he’s hungry, and he’s almost out of gas and he knows he won’t get home with what’s left in his tank, but he doesn’t have his wallet. He calls Jack and tells him about the scene, but the call ends mid sentence and Will thinks it cut out, but his phone actually died. He has no choice but to go to Hannibal’s office, ask for money and a phone charger. 

He gets out of his car outside Hannibal’s office and he runs up the front steps, and doesn’t see the woman come out the front door, so when he collides with her, he’s definitely taken aback.

“Hey, you look familiar,” the woman says. 

Will glares at her because he really does not want to talk to this woman. “Yeah, I’m the guy the Chesapeake Ripper wanted to bone.” It comes out with a sharp edge and he instantly regrets his words. “Sorry, that was vulgar.”

“Rough day?” she asks. 

“You have no idea,” Will huffs out. He holds out his hand to shake. “Will Graham.”

“Margot Verger.” She shakes Will’s hand. Will knows that name. Well the last name, at least.

“Verger? Like the meat packing dynasty?” 

“The very same,” Margot nods. “Well, I better be going. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.”

Hannibal looks up from his desk when Will walks into his office. Will’s anger didn’t really go away while talking to Margot, he was just distracted. He starts pacing around Hannibal’s office, and Hannibal just lets him. Will knows he doesn’t have another appointment for an hour and a half, so he takes his time trying to calm down while Hannibal just watches him.

Finally, after ten minutes of Will’s tense silence, Hannibal stands up and catches him by the arms, stopping his pacing. “What’s wrong, Will?” 

“Today has fucking sucked,” Will says. He sounds too angry, and wants to apologize, but he’s not actually sorry for it, so he doesn’t. He just tells Hannibal about everything that has happened, and Hannibal sits him down in an armchair, reaches into Will’s pocket, removes the phone and goes across the room to plug it in. He then goes to his own coat pocket, pulls out his wallet and slides sixty dollars cash into Will’s breast pocket, then buttons it.

He then leans down and kisses Will softly on the lips, and then pushes Will’s hair out of his face where it falls into his eyes, and kisses Will’s forehead. Will wants to reach out and pull Hannibal back to him when he walks away, but he lets Hannibal go to his mini fridge in the corner of the room, where he pulls out a container of sliced fruit and sets it in Will’s hands. 

Hannibal leaves Will where he sits to go back to his desk. Will watches him pick up his pen again and start writing in a thick black notebook, likely patient notes. Will opens the container in his hands and eats the fruit given to him, grateful for it. When he finishes, he stands up and goes to Hannibal.

“Feeling better?” Hannibal asks, looking up at Will where he stands next to Hannibal’s desk. 

Will nods and sets the empty container down next to Hannibal’s notebook. “Thank you.”

“Of course, dear. Do you have any more work to do today?”

Will shakes his head, no. His lectures were cancelled for the rest of the day, and Jack had told him to go home before the call cut out. There is nothing else the FBI needed him for until Monday unless someone else dies. 

“After my next appointment I am done early for the day. If you would like to accompany me to the grocery store this afternoon, you may wait in the waiting room until I am finished,” Hannibal suggests. “My patient won’t be here for another 45 minutes, though, so I do have some time to kill right now.”

“What do you suggest, Doctor Lecter?” Will smiles. 

“Tell me about the killer. The scene you went to today. Something bothered you about it,” Hannibal states. Will didn’t tell him before it was a copycat of Hannibal’s work, just that the Baltimore PD were being assholes about everything he had to say. Hannibal always knows when something is bothering him.

“It was a tasteless recreation of your work. There was no artistry, no sophistication to the mutilation. I don’t think this killer truly understands how you took these worthless people and elevated them into art,” Will says. He starts pacing again, his hands flying in all directions as he gets worked up about what he’s saying. “I don’t think this killer even knew that what he was doing was a recreation of something based off a painting, if I’m being completely honest. And you know the real kicker here?”

Hannibal looks at him and raises an eyebrow, asking him to continue without words. 

“The Baltimore PD were trying to say that it actually _was_ you _._ No, not you specifically, but like they started saying that maybe Chilton really was telling the truth about everything being a mistake, and that the real Ripper is still out there!” Will is fuming. Still pacing around Hannibal’s office, not looking at Hannibal as the words tumble out. “I had to keep telling them that there is no way, even if the real Chesapeake Ripper were still out there and Chilton wasn’t him, that there is no way the real Ripper would recycle his own designs. Not only recycle but do it in a manner that completely disregards the entire point of the display.”

“You feel insulted on my behalf,” Hannibal responds. 

Will ignores him. “God, I wanted to tell them that it wasn’t the real Chesapeake Ripper because the real Chesapeake Ripper was balls deep inside me when this murder took place.” 

“But of course you would never say the words ‘balls deep’ to anyone when referring to myself, now would you?” 

“ _That’s_ the part you’re focused on? My choice in wording to talk about us fucking is the problem, but not the idea of me giving away your identity?”

“I was simply being facetious, darling. Can you stop moving, please? Come here,” Hannibal says, voice growing more impatient with each word. He opens his arms, and Will stops his pacing to go to Hannibal, falling into his lap in the desk chair, sitting sideways across Hannibal’s thighs. “Do you think this killer will kill like this again?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? Jesus these people,” Will shakes his head. He’s about to stand up and start pacing again but arms come around his waist before he can move. “I don’t get why you have these fans who don’t even know your work. Actually, yeah. I think he’ll kill again and leave some really damning evidence because he doesn’t actually know what the fuck he’s doing.” 

Hannibal hums. “Do you think he may seek you out? Just as Matthew did?”

“I really hope not, but it would be just our fucking luck, huh?” 

“You are quite generous with your profanities today, aren’t you?” Hannibal reprimands. 

“Whatever,” Will retorts. “But yes, if he’s recreating Ripper scenes then I am sure this killer would want to pay us a visit.”

“We will have to see. There is a chance we have nothing to worry about.” Hannibal loosens his grip on Will’s waist, but Will stays where he is for a few more minutes. 

The idea that they have nothing to worry about does not last long at all because right when Hannibal is about to push Will out the door to wait in the waiting room, Will’s phone, now charged and in his pocket, starts ringing. 

Abigail. 

“Hello?” Will answers. 

“Hey,” she says, her voice shaking. Will instantly knows something is very wrong. He can tell she tries to sound as steady as possible when she speaks again. “Are you going to be home soon?”

“Abigail, what’s wrong?” 

Hannibal’s steps still and he looks at Will, a worried look showing on his face. Will knows that he looks just as bothered by this as Hannibal does. 

“Someone… someone showed up. Looking for you, but he,” she lets out a sob. “He tried to kill me, so I… I killed him first.” 

“Fuck. I’m leaving Hannibal’s office now, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

Hannibal goes back to his desk to grab his coat, not even bothering to ask what’s going on. Will lowers his voice so Hannibal doesn’t hear from across the room. 

“Do you want Hannibal to come, too?” Will remembers their discussion about keeping Hannibal away from any bodies that may come into their presence, and though it was a lighthearted conversation at the time, Will knows there was truth to their words. Hannibal won’t fully understand what Abigail is going through, Will won’t fully either but he’s definitely closer to understanding than Hannibal is. 

“That’s… yeah, that’s okay. Just get here.” 

Abigail hangs up on Will. 

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” Will yells. He looks at Hannibal. “Listen, she’s going to want to see me before she sees you. Can you take my car and fill up the tank? Give me your keys.”

So Hannibal and Will exchange keys and Will runs out to the Bentley. He sees Hannibal’s next patient getting out of her car, and can hear Hannibal telling her that there’s been a family emergency. She takes one look at Will running to Hannibal’s Bentley, and gets back into her own vehicle, telling Hannibal that it’s perfectly fine.

Will speeds all the way back to Wolf Trap and is out of the car before the engine even shuts off. He sprints up the front porch steps and into the house, where Abigail is curled up under a blanket on the couch.

She looks up at Will, her eyes glossy, and points towards the kitchen with a trembling hand. He goes in and sees the man on the floor, a knife protruding from his chest. Upon closer examination Will realizes he recognizes the corpse. One of the Baltimore police officers from the scene today. One that was adamant that the display was a perfect recreation of a Chesapeake Ripper scene. 

Will closes his eyes, and the pendulum swings. 

_He’s standing at the kitchen counter, headphones on, cutting up an apple on a cutting board. He recognizes that this is what Abigail had been doing._

He pulls himself out of the reconstruction and sees that there is, indeed, a half cut up apple sitting on the cutting board. Abigail’s headphones have fallen on the ground. He closes his eyes again. 

_Strong hands come around his neck and start to squeeze, bruising, but not quite at the right position to be cutting off airflow. He struggles, turning quickly, seeing murderous intent in the eyes of the man. Knife in hand, he has no choice. Kill or die._

Will pulls himself back out again, and pulls out his phone. 

“Hello?” Jack answers. 

“Jack. We have a situation at my house. Someone came in and tried to kill Abigail while she was here alone. She stabbed him in self defense,” Will explains. “She called me asking to come home, I haven’t even talked to her about what happened yet, just went right into the kitchen where she pointed.”

“And you’re sure it was self defense?” Jack asks. Will knows he’s still skeptical about the Nicholas Boyle situation. 

“Yes. There’s no way it wasn’t,” Will says firmly. “She was in the kitchen with her headphones on, cutting up an apple. He attacked her and she had no other option but to use the knife in her hand… Jack, it’s one of the officers I told you about. The one that kept telling me it was a perfect Ripper scene.”

“You think he was the killer?” 

“Yes I do. I think he came here looking for me.” 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll make some calls, you make sure no one touches the body, keep the dogs out of the room, you know the drill,” Jack orders. “Make sure Abigail is okay.”

“Yeah I will.”

Jack hangs up. Will takes a glance around the room to see if there are any pets trying to get a look at the body, sees Leonardo and Rafael sitting on the kitchen table, and scoops them into his arms. He puts them down outside the kitchen and closes the door so they can’t go back in. 

Will goes back into the living room, where Hannibal is now sitting on the couch with Abigail held tightly to his chest. Will sits on the other side of her and puts a hand on her back. She’s still shaking.

“Abigail, it was clearly self defense. I called Jack,” Will whispers. 

She pulls herself out of Hannibal’s arms and turns to look at Will. “I killed him. They’re going to see me as a murderer because of my father.”

“No. Abigail, I promise that will not happen. Show me your neck,” Will murmurs. 

Abigail brushes her hair away from her neck and Will sees purpling bruises forming. “How did you know what he did?” 

“It doesn’t take abilities like mine to guess what happened in there. You had no other option, the knife was already in your hand.”

Abigail sniffles. 

“And Abigail? He’s not your father anymore. We are. Me and Hannibal are going to protect you,” Will whispers. She looks at him like she’s about to cry and he pulls her in for a hug. “Jack is going to be here soon, he’ll want you to tell him what happened. I told him I already looked at the scene, he knows what I saw. Just do your best.” 

Abigail nods against Will’s chest. 

“Will you be okay here for a minute?” Will asks. 

“Yeah,” Abigail says. Will lets go and stands up, looking at Hannibal. 

“Can I talk to you outside real quick?” 

Hannibal stands up and follows Will out the front door. Will is met by the chilly fall air and digs his hands into his coat pocket. Hannibal stands next to him without a jacket, just his waistcoat over his button down shirt. Will moves closer to him, sharing his warmth. 

“I called Jack because it was one of the officers. This way we don’t have to do another Matthew Brown border trick when they inevitably figure out what he was doing.”

“One of the officers from today?” Hannibal asks, surprised. 

Will nods. “Yes. He was the one that kept telling me it had to be the Ripper. That it was a good, perfect, recreation. God, Hannibal, I should have seen right through him.” 

“Do not blame yourself for this, my love. You have had a very distracted day today.” 

“That’s no excuse. Abigail could have died today, all because I was too distracted by my phone dying and not getting a goodbye kiss from you to notice the murderer was right in front of me.” Will’s voice comes out harsh. “We are so lucky she had the knife in her hand, Hannibal.” 

“Abigail is a survivor. She has been quite literally since the day we met her. She would have come out on top whether she had that knife in her hand or not. And would you like to know why that is?”

Will waits for him to continue. 

“Because, just as you said, we are her fathers now.” Hannibal puts an arm over Will’s shoulders and pulls him closer. “At least this time, unlike with Nicholas Boyle, she will be able to talk about these things in a proper therapy setting. Perhaps I will give Alana a call and set up an appointment. Abigail has not seen her in some time.”

Will nods and leans his head against Hannibal’s shoulder. “This is going to be tough for her.”

“She has us.”

“Yeah. She does.”

They go inside and find Abigail sitting with all three cats on the couch with her, the dogs surround her at her feet. Will leaves Hannibal and Abigail and all the pets in the living room and goes upstairs to shower, the smell of today’s crime scene lingering on his body. 

When he returns, Jack is downstairs, the forensics team and local police moving in and out of the house and kitchen. Hannibal sits next to Abigail on the couch while she recounts what happened to Jack, and Jack nods and listens. A good sign. 

“Will, can I talk to you outside?” Jack asks when Abigail finishes. 

Will pulls a beanie over his damp curls and follows Jack outside into the cold. 

“Tell me about today, then,” Jack prompts. 

So Will tells him about the officer’s insistence that the scene was great, about how it was actually really bad compared to the original Ripper’s work. 

“I was distracted as shit today and didn’t even recognize the killer two feet in front of me,” Will shakes his head. “It nearly cost Abigail her life. I think he came for me and it would have been me if I didn’t decide to stop and see Hannibal today. It should’ve been me instead.”

“She’s okay, Will. Don’t blame yourself for this.” Jack puts a hand on his shoulder. “What is it with these guys? Chilton, Brown, though thank god he never showed up, now this guy. You’re a Ripper and Ripper copycat magnet.”

“It’s kind of terrifying. I’m gonna install some new locks and make sure Abigail locks every single one before I leave the house every morning,” Will says. “Honestly, I’m considering boarding up the fuckin’ windows, too.” 

“That probably won’t be necessary, but whatever makes you feel safest,” Jack nods. “Look, Abigail’s going to be pretty shaken up because of this. You and Doctor Lecter need to take care of her and make sure she sees someone.”

“We’re already on that, don’t worry, Jack.”

“Good. I’m going to go see how everyone’s doing in there. Your kitchen should be yours again in a couple of hours.”

“Yeah, take your time.” 

Jack turns and goes back into the house. Will stands in the cold, watching the trees in the distance grow darker as the sun sets, watching agents come and go from his house. After a while, he sees Alana’s car coming down the drive. 

Alana steps out of her car and practically runs to the porch, her heeled shoes sinking into the mud as she does. “Is she inside?”

Will nods and opens the door for Alana to go in. A moment later, Hannibal steps out and wraps his arms around Will’s waist from behind. 

“And I thought my day had been bad by the time I walked into your office,” Will mumbles. 

Hannibal kisses the side of his neck, but doesn’t offer any words to agree, or disagree, or comfort. He just offers physical support that Will didn’t realize he needed until then. He leans back against Hannibal and feels his entire body start to deflate. Hannibal’s arms tighten around his waist. 

Eventually the agents all leave, Jack and Alana lingering behind to offer support for Abigail, but Hannibal and Will stand out on the porch until it’s well past dark, not speaking.

Jack leaves and finally, they decide to go inside, where they find Abigail and Alana sitting on the couch, talking quietly. 

“Dinner? Anyone?” Hannibal asks. He doesn’t wait for a response before he’s going into the kitchen, Will following close behind. “Something simple, I should think.” 

“We should just order a pizza,” Will says. He doesn’t give Hannibal a chance to protest, before he adds, “Hannibal, it’s been a long fucking day. I’m sure she’d appreciate something normal. I know I would like a pizza.”

“Fine,” Hannibal surrenders. Will thinks he doesn’t sound mad, but he can’t entirely be sure. 

Will goes back out to the living room and asks if a pizza is fine, Abigail and Alana both say yes, and Will grabs his phone to order one. 

Hannibal is still standing in the kitchen after Will orders the pizza, and Will goes back in and joins him. 

“Make something for yourself if you want to,” Will says, but Hannibal shakes his head. Hannibal just stands with his hands on the edge of the counter, looking down at the countertop. Will rubs a hand up and down Hannibal’s back. “What’s wrong?” 

“This should not have happened,” Hannibal states. “Killing that man is going to make her nightmares worse.” 

“I know, but it did happen, and we just have to be there for her.” 

There’s a knock on the front door. “I’ll get it,” Will says. 

It’s too early for the pizza to have arrived, so Will figures one of the agents forgot something and needed to come back. What he did not expect is to see Margot Verger standing on his front porch. 

“Sorry to intrude,” Margot says. “I was wondering if we could talk.”

“Oh, sure. Uh.” Will turns and looks into the house before deciding to step outside into the cold. “Sorry it’s a weird time right now. Do you mind if we talk out here?”

“Not at all.” Margot pulls her expensive-looking coat tight around her body. She looks over to all the cars, Hannibal’s, Abigail’s, Alana’s and Will’s own, all parked next to the house. “Does Doctor Lecter make house calls?”

Will looks at her, then the car, then realizes that she doesn’t know Hannibal lives with Will. “Uh, yeah. Something like that. What did you need to talk about?”

“I was hoping to ask for a character reference. Patient-to-patient.”

“Oh, I’m not-” Will starts, but he’s cut off by Hannibal opening the door behind them. 

“Darling, it’s freezing out here, come back inside. Oh, Miss Verger, what a surprise,” Hannibal says. 

Will watches as Margot’s eyes widen in realization. “You’re not one of Doctor Lecter’s patients.”

“Not anymore, no,” Will says. “Baby, can you just give us a minute?”

Hannibal nods and goes back inside, shutting the door. 

“Let’s go for a walk, Margot,” Will suggests. He wants to know what has the heiress of the Verger meat packing business on his doorstep. It’s dark, so they don’t walk far, but they get a decent distance away from the house, away from prying ears. “What brings you here? And yes, Hannibal and I are together, but please don’t censor yourself.” 

“Well, I was going to ask if I should be worried that Doctor Lecter told me to try again after I tried killing my brother, but now I’m wondering if you should be worried.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I have tried to kill Doctor Lecter, so if that’s the kind of advice he gives out, maybe you should be worried for him, not me,” Will offers. “But I’m sure your brother had it coming.”

“Did Doctor Lecter have it coming?” 

“In a way,” Will shrugs. “If Hannibal thinks you should try again, though, then maybe you should.”

Margot shoves her hands in her pockets. “Well, that’s where it gets complicated. I have the wrong parts, and the wrong proclivity for parts, to inherit the family fortune. I would be left with nothing unless I can produce a male heir.” 

“Well, that sucks. Why don’t you get a sperm donor, then? Then kill your brother.” 

“Are you offering?”

Will laughs. “To kill your brother? Sure. Sperm donation? I’ve known you for less than a day, you know nothing about my genes. I’m not sure you’d want mine.” That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t consider it, though. 

“Anything to ensure I don’t lose everything if my brother happens to fall into a pig pen,” Margot sighs. 

“What’s so bad about him?” 

“Where do I even begin? Here’s the thing, Will. My brother is a monster, he preys on children, he’s harmed me countless times. Everything gets covered up with money and lawsuits, though. And just as a side note, I am fairly certain he is breeding killer pigs,” Margot explains. Will feels a twist in his gut at everything she says. 

“Okay, so. You need to get out of there so he can’t hurt you anymore and then I’m going to fuck him up so bad he can’t harm children anymore.” Will starts pacing. “Then you’re gonna get pregnant. However you wanna go about doing that. And then once we’re sure you have an heir, I’m going to straight up kill that fucker myself.” 

Will knows his voice is rising, but he can’t help it. He knows Hannibal has to know about all of this stuff, and can’t believe he hasn’t offered to finish the job on his own when Margot failed to kill her brother. 

“That sounds like a good plan, but I have nowhere else to go right now. Even if you hurt Mason, he’ll send people to find me.” Margot is shaking her head, she looks deep in thought. 

“Then we make this quick, and you stay with us.” Will honestly can’t even believe he’s offering. “It’ll be a tight fit, but we can make it work. You can take me and Hannibal’s bedroom and we sleep in the side room on the main floor. I mean, that’s where I slept for years and I kinda miss it anyways.”

“Will, I couldn’t. I mean, Doctor Lecter is my psychiatrist, that’s gonna be breaking some sort of law,” Margot protests. 

“Yeah, well I don't give a shit, do you?” He doesn’t wait for an answer before he’s walking back towards the house, ready to chew Hannibal out for not offering her help. “We have company over, so don’t talk about killing your brother, but I’m telling Hannibal that we’re getting you out of there.” 

Will opens the front door and holds it for Margot, then stalks off towards the kitchen to find Hannibal again. Alana is sitting at the kitchen table alone, and looks up when they enter the room.

“Abigail’s in the bath and Hannibal is changing upstairs in your room,” Alana says. 

“Where are all of the animals?” Will asks, looking around the kitchen.

“I think they followed Abigail into the bathroom, but I can’t be sure they all fit.” Alana’s eyes travel past Will’s shoulder to the woman standing behind him. “Hello.”

“Hi,” Margot says. 

Will looks over his shoulder and then back and Alana and sees the two women smiling at each other. 

“Well, I’ll let you two get acquainted while I go find my dogs and my boyfriend, then,” Will nods, and turns on his heel to leave the kitchen.

The upstairs bathroom door is shut and there are several dogs laying on the floor outside, the rest probably inside with Abigail. They wag their tails as Will comes closer. 

He knocks on the door. “You okay, Abigail?”

Water sloshes and she calls out, “Yeah, I’m good.”

Will nods to himself and keeps walking down the hall to his bedroom, making sure the dogs aren’t following him. They sit protectively at the bathroom door.

He opens the bedroom door and sees Hannibal laying on the bed, eyes closed, in just his boxers and a sweater. Will shuts the door again and lays down next to him. 

“Tired?” Will asks. 

“Just thinking,” Hannibal responds. “Why did Miss Verger need to speak with you?”

“She said you told her she should try killing her brother again,” Will says, keeping his voice low. “Hannibal, we have to get her away from him. And maybe kill him in the process.”

“It is not so simple, darling.” Hannibal turns on his side and looks at Will. “She needs an heir, and Mason Verger is very powerful. No matter where Margot goes, they’ll find her.”

“So she stays with us and we protect her, then,” Will says. “And fuck it, I’ll jack off into a jar and give her my own sperm for a baby.” 

“Would you?” Hannibal asks, considering. “You would have a child, then. A real biological child with a woman.”

“That depends on how much she wants me involved. Besides, I think her and Alana are hitting it off downstairs, I could just be an anonymous sperm donor for all that kid knows. He can grow up with his two moms and never even know that I am anything other than a friend.” 

“Until he looks exactly like you,” Hannibal points out. 

“Well, we can worry about that one later.” 

Hannibal turns on his side and looks at Will. He brings a hand up to push Will’s hair out of his face and then leans in for a soft kiss. 

“We can help Miss Verger if that is what you wish to do, but if we bring in every one of my patients that has a difficult living situation, then we will run out of space in our home,” Hannibal whispers. 

Will laughs quietly. “You know how I am about picking up strays. Did you want to come back downstairs and we can all talk about it?”

Hanniabl shakes his head. “I think I may stay up here and rest for a while. If she needs to stay here, then that is fine with me. Anything you decide, my love.”

Will rolls out of bed, leans down to kiss Hannibal on the cheek and then leaves the room. Abigail is walking out of the bathroom, towelling her hair dry as she steps over several dogs.

“We need a blow dryer,” she says. “I keep forgetting to tell you.”

“Tell, Hannibal. I’ll forget,” Will says, continuing to walk towards the stairs.

“Is Alana still here?” Abigail asks. 

“Yeah. Uh, Margot Verger, one of Hannibal’s patients is here, too,” Will says. He pushes his glasses up to rub his eyes, realizing how exhausted he’s becoming. “I think we need to have a family meeting, but Hannibal doesn’t want to get out of bed.”

“Well, I’ll be downstairs in a minute either way.” Abigail goes into her bedroom and shuts the door. 

Will sighs, goes back to his own room and opens the door. “Baby, can you please come downstairs? I really think we should all talk about this. I don’t want to make decisions for this household on my own.”

“Very well,” Hannibal says with a groan as he sits up and swings his legs off the side of the bed before standing. “Hand me some pants, dear.”

Will laughs and goes to the closet, pulling out a pair of casual slacks for him. He tosses them Hannibal’s way and Hannibal catches them with a glare, but Will just smiles and Hannibal’s face softens. 

“Come here,” Hannibal whispers once he has the pants on. 

Will goes to him, and Hannibal wraps him up in a hug. Head on Hannibal’s chest, Will melts in his arms. 

“I wish you could have had a better day today. There is too much on your plate right now,” Hannibal says into his hair. “If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

“Maybe later,” Will nods. “We should go downstairs, the pizza should be here soon.”

“Just one more moment,” Hannibal says, hugging Will tighter. 

There’s a knock on the front door and Hannibal finally releases him and starts towards the bedroom door. Will opens the door for him, and Will, seeing the perfect opportunity, slaps Hannibal’s ass as he passes him. Hannibal turns his head, mouth hanging open in surprise and Will smirks at him. 

“Darling, that is inappropriate behavior.”

“Only because you can’t take me to bed right now,” Will grins. He reaches out his hand and squeezes one of Hannibal’s buttcheeks, and then pushes the small of his back to get him to start walking down the hall.

Downstairs, Abigail is paying for the pizza with cash Will assumes is from Hannibal’s wallet, and she’s bringing it back into the kitchen. She sets it down on the kitchen table, and Will sees her eyes wander to the spot on the floor where the officer went down.

“We can eat in the living room,” Will suggests, and Abigail nods. Alana and Margot, who appear to have moved their chairs closer to each other, look up from their conversation.

“I was wondering when you would come back down,” Alana winks. “We all know it doesn’t take that long to change clothes, Hannibal.”

Will feels heat on the back of his neck. “We were just talking.”

“Uh huh,” Alana says, teasing. “Living room?”

Will nods and everyone follows Abigail out, where she sets the box down on the coffee table. Margot and Alana sit down next to each other on the couch, with Abigail on Alana’s other side. 

Alana and Abigail both grab a slice, but Margot doesn’t. Hannibal sits down in an armchair, and Will silently wishes he and Hannibal could have sat next to each other on the couch, but he doesn’t say anything. He goes to sit in another armchair when Hannibal grabs his wrist and pulls him into his lap. 

The spectacle is ignored by all three women, in favor of whatever they’re talking about, but Will feels like the display is too much. Hannibal nuzzles his face in the back of Will’s neck and inhales as he wraps his arms around Will’s waist. 

“I love you,” Hannibal whispers. Will feels Hannibal’s lips against his skin, trailing down his neck lightly. 

“What has you so affectionate today?” Will asks, turning his body so he can sit sideway across Hannibal’s lap. 

“Nothing in particular,” Hannibal says. “You should eat.”

Will leans forward and grabs a slice. Hannibal doesn’t make it easy for him, kissing along his jaw while he eats it, stealing a kiss from his lips every once in a while. 

“Knock it off or I’ll go sit somewhere else,” Will tells him before grabbing another slice. 

“Very well, I will stop.”

“Thank you.” Will finishes the second slice and then looks at the women sitting on the couch. “Margot, if you need a place to stay, you’re more than welcome. We can keep you safe.”

“I appreciate the offer. I may yet take you up on it, but tonight I don’t think Mason will try to hurt me again so soon after…” Margot glances at Alana and then back at Will. “Well, you know. I’ll go home for a few days, pack a few things and come back, I think, and if I feel unsafe before that, I know where you live.”

Hannibal lifts his head from where it had been resting on Will’s shoulder. “You have my number if you need us. Anything at all. We can come get you if you need it.” 

Will can feel the weight of Hannibal’s words in the air and hopes Alana doesn’t pick up on the secret meaning of _and we’ll kill anyone in our way if we have to._ Will just nods, agreeing with Hannibal.

“Thank you, Doctor Lecter.” Margot stands from the couch. “I best get going. Alana, Abigail, it was nice to meet you both.” 

“I should leave, too. Abigail, call me if you need anything at all, okay? Margot, I’ll walk out with you,” Alana says, standing and walking to the coat rack and putting on his jacket. She holds open the door for Margot and they both walk out, Alana shutting the door behind them.

“Thank god,” Abigail sighs, throwing her feet up on the couch and laying down. “You know, I’m not that affected by killing that guy, but I had to pretend like I was losing it the entire time.”

“You did quite well, Abigail,” Hannibal praises. Will leans back against his chest. He doesn’t like the idea of bringing Abigail into this side of their lives, and he’s not sure how he feels about Hannibal encouraging it, but she really does not seem bothered. “If you begin to feel troubled, you know we are always here for you.”

“I know. I think I’m fine, but I’m sure I’ll have nightmares.”

Hannibal hums. “If you do wake up, feel free to knock and wake one of us up tonight.”

“Okay. Can we watch a movie?” Abigail changes the subject. 

“Of course, go ahead and choose whatever you would like.”

Will turns his head and buries it in Hannibal’s chest, eyes growing heavy. “I might actually turn in. I’m exhausted.”

“Sleep here, I’ll wake you before I go up to bed,” Hannibal whispers, pulling his arms tighter around Will. 

“You can carry me,” Will mumbles, sleep already pulling at him. Hannibal laughs, and Will smiles.

Abigail stands up. “You guys take the couch, I’ll sit in a chair.”

“Thank you, Abigail,” Hannibal says. Will slowly stands up, Hannibal’s hand on his elbow to keep him steady. 

Hannibal lays on the couch, and Will falls into the space next to him, curling into his side, with his head on Hannibal’s chest. Will doesn’t even see what movie Abigail picked because he’s already asleep, the long day finally behind him. Sometime later he wakes up to the feeling of a blanket being put over him. He opens his eyes and squints in the darkness.

“Abigail?” he mumbles. 

“You both fell asleep. I’m going up to bed,” Abigail says. 

“Okay, goodnight,” Will says. He turns his head and sees Hannibal is indeed asleep, pressed against his back with an arm draped around his waist. Will can see the eyes of all three cats where they sit on the back rest of the couch, watching over them. He turns back and sees the dogs surrounding them on the floor. 

Will rolls over entirely and puts a hand on Hannibal’s sleeping face. He leans forward and presses his lips softly to his forehead and Hannibal’s eyes slowly open, blinking awake.

“Did I fall asleep?” Hannibal asks. His accent is thicker with sleep, and Will smiles before kissing him on the lips.

“Yes. Wanna go up to bed?” Will asks. 

Hannibal nods. They both get up slowly, stretch and then head for the stairs. The cats, as well as Winston and Michelangelo follow. Once behind closed doors, Will starts taking off his clothes, but feels the chill of the house and puts on one of Hannibal’s sweaters before crawling into bed. Hannibal changes into pajamas and gets in next to Will, with Winston trying to lay between them.

“Nice try, buddy,” Will says. He pats Winston on the head and climbs over the dog to get to Hannibal’s side of the bed. Will lays down on top of Hannibal, the fronts of their bodies pressed together, his head on Hannibal’s chest. Hannibal lets out a groan as Will settles his full weight onto him.

“Is this necessary?” Hannibal asks, but his arms come around Will’s shoulder’s anyways. 

“Yes. Are you going to tell me why you were so affectionate tonight?” Will asks. 

“Just seeing how caring you are for the people in your life, even when you have just only met someone… It was just very pleasant to see how much humanity you possess. I even saw it as you were killing Freddie Lounds. You’re a good man, Will and I very much love you for it.” 

“I don’t know about being a good man, but I just can’t stand to see her in that situation.”

“You have very high empathy, my love. It only makes sense,” Hannibal agrees.

“I love you, too by the way. I didn’t say it earlier, but you know I do.”

“I know, Will.” Hannibal turns, rolling Will off of him. Will turns around so his back is pressed against Hannibal’s front. “Sleep, darling.”

Hannibal tightens his arm around Will’s waist, and puts his other one under Will’s head. Will brings a hand to hold Hannibal’s by his face and Hannibal laces their fingers together, letting their exhaustion pull them both under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments! They mean so much to me and keep me motivated. Big things coming, I think.


	10. Chapter 10

Hannibal wakes up to Will pulling himself out of his arms and sitting up on the edge of the bed. It’s still dark in the room, the only light coming in through the cracked open door from the hallway, and the moon peeking through the curtains. 

“Darling?” Hannibal mumbles, reaching out for Will to come back.

“Go back to sleep,” Will whispers. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Nightmare?” Hannibal asks. Will leans back down and kisses Hannibal softly before standing up and pulling on a pair of pants. He then decides to pull on Hannibal’s robe, taking it from where it hangs behind the door. Hannibal thinks he needs to buy one for Will, but he knows he won’t wear it. 

“Abigail knocked. I’m going to sit downstairs with her for a bit.”

“I’ll come with,” Hannibal says, rolling over to get out of bed. The clock says it’s just after 3, none of them having slept very long. It’s common in their household. 

Downstairs, Abigail’s starting the tea and Hannibal shakes his head. “Something stronger than tea, I think.”

He retrieves a bottle of whiskey and three glasses from the cabinet. Abigail and Will both eye him curiously. 

“I say we have cause for celebration, and perhaps all of us could just use a drink. It is not as if any of us have to wake up for work in the morning,” Hannibal explains. 

“Celebration?” Will asks. 

“Abigail’s survival, of course. You solved the case of who left that display. Alana may not be here now, but she definitely had a pleasant time in Margot’s company tonight. So yes, celebration.” 

Hannibal pours each of them a glass and they sit down around the kitchen table. The silence stretches as they sip their drinks. Finally, Will speaks.

“Did you wanna talk about what woke you up?” 

“Nightmare. I don’t need to talk about it, I just don’t want to be alone,” Abigail says. “Thanks for coming down.”

“Of course,” Hannibal nods. 

“So is Margot going to live with us, then?” Abigail asks after a few minutes. 

“It’s possible,” Will answers. “Her brother is an abusive asshole, and I think she needs to get out of there.”

Abigail nods. “Okay. Are you going to kill her brother?” She’s looking at Hannibal now.

Hannibal takes a sip of his drink and shrugs. “It’s a rather complicated situation. She needs a male heir to their family fortune.” 

“So she gets pregnant, has a baby, then her brother dies,” Abigail shrugs. “Doesn’t seem that complicated to me.”

“We’re looking at over nine months. And it could be a girl,” Will says. “I don’t think that means we shouldn’t help her, though.”

“Where would she sleep?” Abigail asks. 

“She can take our room, we’ll move back down here,” Will says.

Abigail shakes her head. “I’m not walking past you two sleeping naked every night.”

“We will wear clothes to bed each night,” Hannibal says. 

“She can just share my room. It’ll be like a slumber party. Or she can take the downstairs. It’s your house, anyways, don’t give up your room.”

“You want bunk beds?” Will jokes. 

“Sure,” Abigail answers. She stands, slides her half-full glass across the table to Will, and says, “Anyways, I’m going back to bed. Thanks again for coming down.”

“Goodnight, Abigail,” Will says. He throws back the glass of whiskey and gets up to bring both empty glasses to the sink, picking up Hannibal’s on the way. “Back to bed?”

“In a minute,” Hannibal answers. “You go ahead. I’m going to sit here for a bit.”

“Is something wrong?” Will stands next to Hannibal where he sits at the table and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to me.”

Hannibal shakes his head. “It’s nothing, darling.” 

“Hannibal.” Will pulls Hannibal’s chair farther from the table and drapes himself across Hannibal’s lap. He brings both hands to cup Hannibal’s cheeks and rests their foreheads together. “You know I’m here. I’ll listen to anything you need to talk about. Don’t shut me out.”

Hannibal closes his eyes and sighs. He wraps his arms around Will’s waist and holds him in place. “I am just thinking about these killers that keep showing up. Something needs to be done. It will eventually draw attention to us if we just end up killing every threat that comes our way.”

“Then we get more locks for the doors and windows. A security system. Maybe we don’t leave Abigail home alone. I don’t know what else we can possibly do,” Will whispers. 

“We can’t not let Abigail stay home alone. She has an opposite schedule to ours,” Hannibal says. “I want to protect you both, but there is only so much that can feasibly be done.”

Will pulls his face away and moves his hands to Hannibal’s shoulders. Hannibal opens his eyes and meets Will’s gaze. 

“How many more can there be? How many more Ripper copycats can find our address, really? Matthew Brown got it from you, and the officer probably did some snooping that he shouldn’t have. If there are more out there, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to find us.” 

“Perhaps you’re correct.” 

Will kisses Hannibal’s cheekbone. “I am. Can we go back to bed now?” 

“Very well.” Hannibal moves his arms so he can scoop Will into a bridal carry and rises to his feet.

“Put me down,” Will warns. He tries to pull himself out of Hannibal’s arms but Hannibal just holds him tighter.

Hannibal raises an eyebrow and looks down at the man in his arms “And if I don’t?” 

Moving his head forward, Will looks like he’s about to kiss Hannibal, but instead his teeth clamp around Hannibal’s neck. Hard. Hannibal is sure Will is about to draw blood, if not rip flesh completely off of him, and he lets out a surprised and pained noise. 

“Fine. Let go,” Hannibal says. Will does and Hannibal sets him to his feet. There’s blood on Will’s mouth and Hannibal can feel exactly where Will’s teeth punctured his skin. Attempting to sound annoyed, Hannibal says, “Now I have to clean this.”

Will shrugs and flashes him a bloody grin. “I warned you.” 

“You did.”

Hannibal goes upstairs to the bathroom, pulls out the first aid kit from the cabinet under the sink, and Will comes in, taking it from him. 

“Let me,” Will says. He pushes Hannibal to sit on the bathroom counter, stepping between his legs, opens the first aid kit, taking out antiseptic wipes and bandages and tends to the wound on Hannibal’s neck. Once a bandage is placed over it, Will kisses it lightly. “There. All better.”

“Thank you, love. Though maybe I should not thank you seeing as you’re the one who put it there in the first place,” Hannibal sighs. He puts his arms around Will’s torso and kisses him. “Tired?”

Will nods and yawns. He takes Hannibal’s hand in his and brings them back to the bedroom. He takes off Hannibal’s robe and hangs it back up behind the door and then gets under the covers, pulling the blankets up to his chin. 

“It’s freezing in this house,” Will says. “Aren’t you freezing?”

“Yes, but not as much when you’re wrapped around me,” Hannibal smiles. He goes to get in the bed next to Will and nearly sits on the cats laying under the blankets. He laughs and picks up both of them, Leonardo and Rafael, and holds them to his chest as he lays down. “I know I told you only one more cat, but I will admit I am fond of both of these.”

“They’re sweethearts, aren’t they? I knew you would get over it,” Will smiles. He rolls over and curls up close to Hannibal’s body, not wanting to disturb the kittens on Hannibal’s chest. Will yawns again. 

“Sleep, darling.” Hannibal puts the cats off to the side and turns on his side, pulling Will in close. “Warm enough?”

“Mm, yeah,” Will sighs. 

“We should bring some space heaters up here, I think.”

“Yeah that would be nice,” Will agrees. “Put one in Abigail’s room, too. She doesn’t complain but I’m sure her room’s cold, too.” 

“As you wish.” 

—-

Hannibal wakes up to the sound of Will’s phone ringing, something that happens so often. He tightens his arms around Will’s body so he can’t move to answer it. 

“Hannibal, I gotta take this.”

“No. You will stay here with me all day. No crime scenes, no Jack Crawford,” Hannibal says into Will’s chest. 

“Baby, come on,” Will protests. Hannibal moves over so he’s laying fully on top of Will, pinning him to the mattress. 

“No.” 

“He’s just going to keep calling. Or he’s going to call you,” Will says with a sigh. 

“Fine.” Hannibal reaches over and grabs Will’s phone as Jack calls a second time. “Hello, Jack.”

“Hannibal, good morning. Is Will there?”

“Will is asleep,” Hannibal lies. Will looks up at him and raises an eyebrow, the faintest hint of a smile forming on his lips. “He woke up feeling ill earlier this morning. I told him not to stand outside in the cold last night but he never listens to me.”

“Well, we’ve got a scene. You think you could wake him and see if he’s up to coming out?” Jack asks, much too hopeful.

“I’m very sorry, Jack, but I don’t think that would be very wise. He needs his rest. Doctor’s orders,” Hannibal replies. 

“Right. Doctor’s orders,” Jack repeats. “Well, do you think you could come out, then?”

“I should really stay home and keep an eye on him.”

“Hannibal, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think it was important,” Jack sighs. 

“I’m very sorry, Jack, but our family has gone through too much in the last twenty-four hours because we have gotten too close to these cases, so please forgive me for declining. I have full faith that you can find someone else associated with the FBI to consult on this case and you do not need Will nor myself. Especially not when Will is feeling unwell,” Hannibal says firmly. “That’s final.” 

“Right. Okay. Have a good day and tell Will I hope he feels better,” Jack says, disappointed that Hannibal is around to say no when Will won’t do it himself. He hangs up and Hannibal tosses Will’s phone back onto the nightstand. 

“You didn’t just say that to Jack,” Will says. 

“I did.” Hannibal kisses Will on the cheek and puts his head in the crook of Will’s neck. 

“Stop trying to alienate me from my work and Jack Crawford, Hannibal. He’s going to think I don’t care about saving lives anymore,” Will says. Hannibal lifts his head.

“Do you?” Hannibal asks. “I was under the impression that you do not actually mind killers walking free.” 

“What we do is different.”

Hannibal rolls off of Will, sits up against the headboard and looks down at him. “I have killed people for simply making offensive assumptions about me. You killed Freddie Lounds just because she was somewhere she should not have been. She is dead for completely selfish reasons on our end. Not that I, personally, have a problem with any of this, but those reasonings are not particularly sound enough for what we have done according to most people. Do you truly believe that what we do is different?”

Will sighs. He sits on the edge of the bed and stands, walking towards the door. 

“Where are you going?” Hannibal asks. 

“To take a shower.” Will’s voice comes out harsh. 

“Darling,” Hannibal tries, but Will is already out the door and in the hall. He hears the bathroom door slam. Hannibal sighs and looks at the cats. “Did I say something that was incorrect?” 

The kittens climb into his lap and curl up into balls, purring when he starts to gently pet them. There’s a knock on the bedroom door.

“Yes?”

“Are you making breakfast?” Abigail asks through the door. 

“I suppose I can, yes.” Hannibal nudges the cats off his lap and stands up. “I’ll be down in a moment.”

He goes to the closet and pulls out casual gray slacks and a blue long sleeve shirt. He changes his clothes and leaves the bedroom, knocking lightly on the bathroom door.

“What?” Will’s voice comes over the spray of the water. 

“I’m making breakfast. Come down when you’re out?” Hannibal asks.

“Fine.” 

Hannibal goes downstairs and sees Abigail at the counter, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. 

“So. Will slammed the bathroom door pretty loudly,” she says, taking a sip. 

“Yes. I believe I have upset him this morning,” Hannibal sighs. He pushes up his sleeves and takes a carton of eggs out of the fridge. "All I said was that we are no different than the killers Jack Crawford wants him to catch." 

"Good one," Abigail says sarcastically. "You _know_ he has a hard time with that." 

"I was just telling him the truth," Hannibal says. "I would enjoy a Saturday at home without Jack Crawford calling at eight in the morning." 

"It's his job, Hannibal." 

"Well, and I don't say things like this often, but it's a dumb job," Hannibal shrugs. “How do you want your eggs?" 

"Scrambled." Abigail crosses her arms. "Don't change the subject. You should try being honest with Will in a way that doesn't remind him of things he's sensitive about." 

Hannibal doesn't respond to that. He knows she's right, and that similar topics have gotten him yelled at in the past. Now Will can't leave and drive home when Hannibal makes him mad, he can only go into the other room and try to get his head on straight, and Hannibal understands that's not always ideal for him. Hannibal finishes cooking Abigail's breakfast and hands her a plate.

"You just aren't gonna say anything? Fine. If you won't talk to me, then go upstairs and talk to him. You could try an apology once in a while," Abigail says, sitting down at the kitchen table. 

Hannibal huffs, washes his hands, starts the coffee and goes upstairs. The shower is still running and he knocks. No response.

"Will?" Hannibal tries. "Can we talk?" 

The water shuts off, and Hannibal hears movement inside the bathroom before the door opens to Will standing in front of him in nothing but a towel. His hair is dripping all over the floor at both of their feet. 

"About what? What more could you _possibly_ say on this?" Will pushes at Hannibal's chest to move out of the doorway. He storms off towards the bedroom and slams the bedroom door again. 

Hannibal won't let him get away with that and walks into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "I am aware that you are sensitive about this topic, Will. I should not have said what I said, and you're right to be upset with me. I would prefer if you tell me, though, instead of slamming doors in my face." 

Will doesn't look at Hannibal while he pulls on a pair of jeans, and a sweatshirt over his head. Hannibal stands in front of the closed door and just waits. 

Will sits down on the bed to pull on some socks and Hannibal can see on his face that he wants to say something, but won't. Hannibal sits down on the bed next to him and slowly raises a hand to Will's chin. He turns Will's face to his direction, but Will doesn't meet his eyes. 

"I don't like seeing you upset with me. What can I do to make it better, my love?" Hannibal whispers. 

With a sigh, Will drops his head to Hannibal's shoulder. "Nothing. I'm not upset with you, I'm upset with myself." 

"Whatever for, darling?" Hannibal brings his hand to rest on Will's back. 

"I’m upset because you're right, but I wish you weren’t. What's the difference between us and the guys Jack wants me to catch?" Will shakes his head. “My life is so fucked up, Hannibal. Before you I never thought I'd share my home with an actual serial killer you know? Most people would never entertain the idea. I keep trying to find... a justification for this, but there isn't one." 

"No, perhaps not. Love can make us do things we wouldn't otherwise do." 

Will laughs. "I don't even have a way to properly tell you how fucked that is, Hannibal. Being in love doesn’t hold up in court." 

"I know." 

"I'm sorry for storming off and slamming doors." 

"Don't be. You needed your space and I have promised to always grant that." 

"It was childish," Will protests. He lifts his head to look at Hannibal. Hannibal pushes Will's wet hair out of his eyes. He ignores the wet spot on his shoulder where Will’s hair dripped on his shirt. 

“I will not deny that. I already told you that I would prefer you tell me when you’re upset, but do not be sorry to me for it.” Hannibal puts a hand on Will’s knee and Will covers it with his own hand. 

“I’ll do better next time,” Will says. 

“I know.” Hannibal kisses his cheek. “Breakfast?”

“Sure.” 

They walk into the kitchen hand in hand and Abigail smiles at Hannibal. When Will isn’t looking, she mouths ‘good job,’ and Hannibal rolls his eyes. 

“I’m going shopping with some friends from work after breakfast,” Abigail tells them when they both sit down at the table. She finished her plate already, but she’s sitting with them, drinking a mug of coffee. 

“Do you have enough money?” Hannibal asks. He doesn’t wait for an answer and goes to get his wallet off the counter and gives her the cash he has. 

“She has a job,” Will mumbles into his plate. 

“Yes, I am aware she has a job, dear. That does not mean I cannot provide money for her when she wishes to get away from us for an afternoon.” 

“Thanks,” Abigail smiles and puts the cash in her pocket. “What are your plans for the day?”

“Hm, well. We haven’t discussed that yet,” Hannibal answers. He looks at Will. “Did you have anything in mind?”

“I kind of want to go fishing, if that’s alright,” Will says. “You can come if you want but I know it’s not your favorite thing to do.”

“I will come along, but I won’t fish. I think I will sit on the shore with the dogs,” Hannibal says. He thinks for a moment. “Maybe I will prepare a picnic for us.”

“Sounds like a date,” Will grins. 

After breakfast, Abigail leaves and Hannibal finds a basket to use for their picnic. He makes sandwiches, and adds grapes and slices a pineapple that he’s been waiting to find a use for. He adds a bottle of wine and two glasses. Will walks around the house collecting all of his gear. 

“Bring a couple blankets,” Will calls from the living room. “I’m not getting out of the stream and taking off my waders to warm you up if you get cold.”

“Of course, darling.” 

“You have your phone right? I’m leaving mine here.”

“Yes, I have mine,” Hannibal responds. He picks up the basket and meets Will in the living room. Will is folding up the blankets they keep on the back of the couch, setting them on the coffee table, and then he runs upstairs. When he comes down, he has Hannibal’s sketchbook and pencils in his hands. 

“Figured you’d want to draw,” Will smiles sheepishly. 

It’s a simple gesture, but it means so much, and Hannibal grabs Will’s face in both hands and kisses him. “Thank you.” 

After putting the sketchbook inside the picnic basket and draping the blankets over one arm, Hannibal calls for the dogs. 

“Hey, bring a coat,” Will tells him, picking up all of his fishing gear in his arms. “I’m serious. I will not be getting out of the water just because you’re cold.”

“Yes, dear,” Hannibal sighs. He sets everything down and pulls on a jacket. The dogs sit obediently in front of both men, waiting for further instruction. Hannibal walks to the door and lets them all run outside before he picks up his basket and blankets again. 

They walk next to each other through the trees, down the path to Will’s stream, dogs running around them excitedly. When Hannibal finds a good place to sit, he sets everything down and lays out a blanket, sitting down with his sketchbook. 

Michelangelo, who has gotten quite big since Hannibal first brought him home, climbs into Hannibal’s lap and lays across his thighs. 

“I told everyone to stop treating him like a lap dog because the habit will stick and sure enough…” Will laughs. Hannibal just smiles and scratches the dog between his ears. 

“He will keep me warm,” Hannibal smiles. The dog lifts his head and licks Hannibal’s face. Hannibal frowns at the dog, but says, “Thank you.”

Will shakes his head, a grin on his face and pulls on his waders, grabs a pole, then walks off into the water. He was right about it being chilly out and Hannibal pulls another blanket out of the pile and wraps it around his shoulders. He sets the sketchbook on top of Michelangelo and opens it to a fresh page. The dog doesn’t seem to care that Hannibal is using him as a table. 

Hannibal does a handful of quick sketches of the dogs as they walk around him, walk into the water and roll in the grass. He draws the trees and the water and the shoreline. Mostly, he draws Will. His peaceful expression while he stands and waits, the way his face scrunches up in concentration when he’s baiting a hook, the excitement in his eyes when he reels something in. Sometimes he looks over at Hannibal with a big smile on his face and Hannibal smiles back when he finally looks up from his drawings. Hannibal understands why Will likes this so much, why he doesn’t bring his phone, why he doesn’t mind fishing alone. It’s the best way for him to clear his head. 

After a long while, Will finally wades out of the stream, several fish on his fish stringer, a smile on his face. He’s been smiling a lot, and Hannibal wishes this moment could be frozen in time. If he could never see Will frown ever again, Hannibal would be content for the rest of his life. Will opens the cooler he brought and puts the fish inside it, then takes off his waders and sets them aside. He sprawls out on the blanket next to Hannibal and looks at the drawings. 

“That can’t really be how you see me,” he says. He’s on his side next to Hannibal, looking at the pages with his eyebrows knitted together.

“Of course it is.” Hannibal closes the book and puts it off to the side. He pushes Michelangelo off his lap and opens the picnic basket. Each dog comes running at the sound and Hannibal throws treats for them from a bag he brought. 

They eat in comfortable silence and Hannibal is glad that Will isn’t upset anymore. A few hours in the stream does wonders for his mind, and Hannibal knows that. When Will finishes his sandwich and his glass of wine, he flops down on his back and lets out a huff of air. 

“You somehow make sandwiches taste better than anything I’ve made myself,” he says. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Hannibal finishes his glass and lays down on his side, propped on one elbow. “Years of practice, I suppose.”

“I suppose,” Will agrees. “So. I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?”

“You’re right. We’re no different from the people I’m supposed to be catching, but I have a proposition.”

“Go on,” Hannibal says. 

“You… no, we only kill people that really deserve it. Not just because they cut you off in traffic. Actual bad people,” Will says. He brings a hand up to touch Hannibal’s cheekbone. “Other murderers, abusers, people that hurt others.”

“If that’s what you wish, I believe I can make that compromise.” Hannibal pushes Will’s hair off his forehead and leans down to kiss it. He lingers just inches above Will’s face. “It hardly matters right now, though. It’s not as if we can do any killing at the moment.” 

“Well, that’s what I want to talk about, too.”

“Oh?”

“I know you miss it. I also know that you probably have a cabin where you are able to do work if you want to. What would you say…” Will lowers his voice to a whisper. “If I found someone I think is worthy and we killed them?” 

“Oh, Will,” Hannibal whispers. He closes the distance between their faces and kisses his lips softly. When he pulls away, Will chases after his lips and pushes Hannibal onto his back. Will places a hand on Hannibal’s chest and props himself on his other elbow, leaning down to kiss Hannibal again. 

After a minute, Will pulls away for a breath, and Hannibal brings a hand to caress one of his pink cheeks. The air around them is chilly, but everywhere their bodies touch is warm. Hannibal reaches over to grab another blanket, pulls Will to lay on top of him and then puts the blanket over them both. 

“Are you cold?” Will laughs, kissing Hannibal’s neck. 

“Not anymore,” Hannibal says. 

Will starts to nip and Hannibal’s jaw, then at his neck. He bites down on the opposite side of the bandaged bite mark, but not hard enough to bleed this time. Hannibal lets out a moan as Will starts to suck on the skin he just bit. Hannibal feels his cock start to stiffen in his pants where it’s pressed against Will’s and he rolls his hips upwards, causing Will to moan into his neck. 

There’s a crunch of leaves a few feet away and Will snaps his head up. 

“Shit,” he whispers. He clears his throat. “Hey, Jack.” 

“You seem to be feeling better,” Jack says. He does not sound amused. Hannibal cranes his neck to look over his shoulder as Jack comes down the path to where they’re laying. The dogs run to him and try to jump up to greet him. “Sorry to interrupt your moment.” 

“Not interrupting anything. But uh, yeah, no I just felt sick this morning. I, uh, I got over it,” Will stammers. He rolls off of Hannibal, taking to blanket with him, bunching it up in his lap, and Hannibal is left cold and exposed. He sits up, and grabs another blanket to hide his obvious erection, but Jack likely already saw it. Will looks at Jack. “Sorry, but why are you here?”

Jack holds up a folder. “Was going to drop crime scene photos off for you to look at, but you didn’t answer your door or your phone, and since both of your cars were home I figured I’d check out here.” 

“Uh, right.” Will holds out his hand. “I’ll take the photos.” 

“Look, guys, I get it,” Jack says as he hands Will the folder. “You wanted a Saturday alone to fish and spend time with each other. I really do get it. But Will, don’t send Hannibal to answer your phone and say you’re sick if you aren’t.” 

“To be fair, I wouldn’t let Will answer the phone himself,” Hannibal states. “This was all my doing, Jack. I apologize for lying to you.” 

“Right. There are lives at stake here, though.”

“Our own lives have been at stake because you got me too close to some of these cases. Abigail almost died yesterday, I had a shitty day to begin with. I need a day off once in a while if you want me to keep being useful in the future,” Will says. “I push myself too far and you know it.”

“If you need a break, then fine. Take a break, but when you see all the ways you could’ve saved these lives and didn't, it’s going to tear you apart.” 

“Jack, that’s a risk I’m willing to take. After the encephalitis, I realized I need to actually take care of myself. Being in the field all the time isn’t good for me,” Will tells him. “I’ll take a look at these photos and I’ll give you a call later.” 

Hannibal watches as Jack sighs, and decides to drop the argument. “How’s Abigail doing? She wasn’t home.”

“Oh she went out with some friends today,” Will says. 

“So, she’s adjusting well, then? I mean yesterday had to have given her quite the scare.” 

“She said that life goes on. I think she needed a distraction that she can’t find in our home so she went to the mall,” Will shrugs. 

“Right, well. I’ll let you guys get back to… yeah. I’m gonna go,” Jack says. He turns around and walks off quickly without another word. 

When he’s gone, Will looks at Hannibal and laughs. “If he would’ve showed up five minutes later, I don’t think we would’ve had pants on.” 

“I would have stopped you before we got to that point. It is cold out here,” Hannibal shakes his head. 

There’s a bark and they both look over to see Michelangelo barking at Buster who jumped in the water. 

“Buster! Get out of there,” Will calls. The dog doesn’t listen so Will gets up and pulls the soaked dog out of the stream. He looks at Hannibal. “I think it’s time to go home.” 

They gather their things and the dogs run ahead of them to go home. When they come around the side of the house, a man that Hannibal recognizes as Mason Verger is sitting on the porch. 

“Doctor Lecter! Good afternoon,” he says in his high, nasally voice. Hannibal tries his best to not let his face scrunch up in disgust at the man sitting in front of his home.

“Mister Verger, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you to our home today?” Hannibal smiles. Will tenses next to him and Hannibal wants to reach out and reassure him, but his hands are too full.

“Well, my dear sister, Margot, seems to be packing up personal items. I don’t suppose you would know anything about that? What has my sister been saying about me?” 

“Even if I did know, I legally cannot say. I cannot tell you anything Miss Verger has told me,” Hannibal tells him. He sets down his basket to open the front door, letting the dogs and Will inside. Will sets his stuff inside the door and steps back out, shutting the door and standing close to Hannibal. “And luckily for you, I cannot tell anyone at all what she has said about you.”

“Of course, Doctor Lecter, but you must understand how I worry about my sister. She is…” Mason tilts his head in thought before continuing, “quite troubled. As you may already know. I wouldn’t want her running off and getting herself hurt.”

“With all due respect, Mister Verger, I would like you off my property,” Will states. He’s still tense next to Hannibal and Hannibal puts a hand on the small of his back. 

Mason barks out a laugh and slaps his hands down on his thighs before standing. He holds out a gloved hand to shake Will’s. Will doesn’t take his hand, and Mason drops his own after a moment. He speaks in his mocking tone, “Your property? My, my… here I thought this was Doctor Lecter’s home. Unless that makes you two...” he looks at Will’s face, then Hannibal’s, then where Hannibal’s arm is behind Will’s back. “Oh, I see.”

Will crosses his arms and waits, which Hannibal knows could likely be for a long while because Mason Verger is the type of man to get what he wants eventually. 

“I must invite you two to pick out a pig from our slaughterhouse. How I know Doctor Lecter enjoys cooking… It’s the least I could do for you taking such good care of my dear Margot, Doctor. Well, perhaps not today, I am sure you two are very busy.” 

“Yes, quite. I must take you up on that offer in the future, Mister Verger. I believe I have your number and we can arrange a time that works best for all of us?” Hannibal smiles. 

“Of course Doctor. Well, I don’t want to upset… sorry what was your name?” Mason looks at Will. 

“Will Graham,” Will mumbles. 

“Right, well I wouldn’t want to upset Mister Graham any further, so I will get out of your hair. Do call me if you find out where Margot may be going.” He walks down the front porch steps and off towards the car waiting for him.

“Sure,” Hannibal lies. Anything to get this disgusting man away from their home.

“I can’t help but notice that you’re building another house. That looks like quite the spacious basement they are laying down. Whatever will you use it for?” Mason asks, eyeing the new house’s foundation as he stands in front of the car.

“Man cave,” Will calls out. “Goodbye, Mister Verger.”

Mason gets in the backseat of the car and the driver turns around and drives off the property. Hannibal and Will stand on the porch until they are out of sight.

“I want the names and addresses of every lawyer and judge that has gotten him out of legal trouble,” Will says before walking inside the house. Hannibal follows, grinning widely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest. I wanted this chapter to be more angsty but the spirits of Hannibal and Will were like "we will be mad at each other for two seconds and then it's hand holding again" and I can't deny them. Also this part three turned into way more than I thought it would, I wasn't even planning a part three when I wrote part two, but nearly 50k words later and I still have so much to do. Anyways, leave comments and kudos. Thank you.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some warnings. A few mentions of Mason's abuse in this chapter, so read with caution. Nothing graphic, but Margot does have injuries caused by him that I talk about. 
> 
> There is also smut in this chapter, just letting everyone know so you aren't surprised.

The front door closes behind them and Will is pacing around the room. He hates Mason Verger, he has decided. All of his crimes and abuse just sit on the surface of his being, like he doesn’t even try to hide any of it, and it shouldn’t take someone with an empathy disorder to see how many shades of fucked up this guy is. 

“Darling, we could likely only get away with killing one if I’m being perfectly honest,” Hannibal says. Will stops pacing and looks up at him. “One man dead and no one will think twice, but if every man and woman that has helped him out of legal trouble, while we are trying to help his own sister, gets murdered, they will find us. We will get caught.”

Will groans but he knows Hannibal is right. There’s no way they’d get away with it. “Then what do you suggest?”

“I honestly would suggest we sit this one out entirely,” Hannibal says. Will is about to say that’s not an option when Hannibal adds, “ _ but _ if we must, I would suggest we kill the judge that gave him community service and court ordered therapy for abusing children instead of locking him away forever.”

“Okay. Yeah. I am good with that idea. When?” 

“Well, not any time soon seeing as Mister Verger  _ just  _ paid us a visit.”

Will nods. He knows it makes more sense than doing it now, but god he wants to do it right this second. 

“I know you’re eager, love, but we must be smart about this. I am eager as well, but it would put our family in danger.”

“I know, Hannibal. I want to kill Mason, I want to kill everyone that has ever defended him, I want to paint the walls of his estate red, but I know.”

Hannibal moves forward and pulls Will into a hug. “You are truly remarkable.”

Will hums in response and returns the embrace. He says, “I love you,” into Hannibal’s chest and Hannibal drops a kiss to Will’s head.

“And I you.”

“How long do we have until Abigail gets home?”

Hannibal checks his watch behind Will’s back. “Hard to say. Why?”

“Well I would  _ like  _ to finish what we started before Jack interrupted us, but if we get interrupted again I might just cut my dick off.” 

“You will do no such thing, darling.”

“It’s a hyperbole, Hannibal.”

“Not when you live with a serial killer,” Hannibal shakes his head. 

Will picks up his stuff from where he dropped it by the door and starts putting it back in their designated spots around the house. He can’t wait until their new house is built and he’ll have a whole room for just his fishing stuff, but now, with all of Hannibal and Abigail’s things scattered around, he just has to put stuff where it fits. 

After everything’s put away, he flops down on the couch and waits for Hannibal to finish putting away their containers and plates and glasses from the picnic. Hannibal comes back into the room with two glasses of wine and looks at Will, who is laying across the entire length of the couch. Will just looks up at him and shrugs. Hannibal sets the glasses down on the coffee table and pulls out his cell phone. 

It rings several times, on speaker, before Abigail answers. “Hey, dad.”

Hannibal and Will both raise eyebrows at each other. “Hello Abigail. Are you going to be home for dinner? I think Will and I will be eating around six.”

“Uh, no I don’t think so. Sorry,” Abigail says. Will can hear her frowning on the other end. 

“Not to worry, Abigail. Just thought we’d check in. Have fun.” Hannibal hangs up and looks at Will.

“What?”

“We have the house to ourselves until six at the earliest, darling.” Hannibal picks up his glass of wine and sips it, watching Will as he lays on the couch. “I think we could both use a hot shower to warm up.”

Will groans. “I don’t want to shower.”

Hannibal holds out his free hand and Will takes it and lets Hannibal pull him off the couch. Once standing, Will drains the glass of wine Hannibal brought for him, even though he knows he probably shouldn’t. 

Will’s phone starts ringing. 

“Don’t answer it,” Hannibal murmurs. 

“It’s Jack. I’ll answer it and then turn off my phone again.” Will hits accept. “Yeah?”

“Have you looked at those photos yet?”

Will groans and rubs his hand over his face. “I’ll do it right now, yeah. I’ll call you back.”

“No.” Hannibal shakes his head. Will hangs up and brings his hand to cup Hannibal’s cheek. 

“Just give me ten minutes with these photos and then we can do whatever you want,” Will says. 

Hannibal lets out an annoyed sound but agrees, and goes upstairs. Will sits down on the couch and opens the folder, scattering the photos across the table. He looks at them for a while, completely puzzled, then calls Jack.

“Jack, since when does the FBI investigate animal attacks?” Will asks, looking at a torn up carcass. Body parts are strewn across the parking lot, with the torso mostly on top of a semi cab. It was clearly done with sharp teeth and claws. 

“Since whatever did this has a human on the other end of the leash,” Jack replies. “Jimmy thinks it could be a wolf or a bear.”

“Okay. And we think a human has trained it to kill?” Will asks, looking over the photos again. He remembers something Hannibal told him. About the kid he treated that wanted to be a bear. He doesn’t say anything to Jack about it, but he’s going to call Hannibal down the second Jack hangs up.

“It’s possible. It isn’t typical animal behavior.”

“I guess I should have been there. Shit. There is not a lot I can do with these photographs,” Will says, trying to sound like he regrets his decision to stay home today. “I guess we just hope it doesn’t happen again, but if it does I’ll be at the scene.”

“You better,” Jack agrees. 

“Yeah. I’ll talk to you if I figure anything out. I think I’ll have Hannibal take a look too, if that’s okay? He might have something.”

“That’s fine. I’ll talk to you later, Will.”

Will hangs up and shuts off his phone as promised. 

“Hannibal?” Will calls. “Can you come down here for a minute?”

“Why can’t you come up here?” Hannibal calls back down. 

“Not bringing crime scene photos to the bedroom. I have enough nightmares as it is!” 

Will hears movement upstairs and then Hannibal’s bare feet coming down the wooden steps and he turns to look at him, only to see that Hannibal is fully naked already. 

“You’re terrible,” Will shakes his head. “Can you look at these real quick?”

“Is it so terrible that I wanted to be waiting for you when you came upstairs?” Hannibal asks, sitting down on the couch. “But, of course, love. I will look at these.”

“Couldn’t you have put on a robe?”

“It’s just us here. Why would I?” 

“Your bare ass is sitting on the couch we all sit on. We have guests that sit on that couch.”

Hannibal shrugs. He looks down at the photos and hums. “An animal attack? What does the FBI have to do with this?”

“Not an animal. You mentioned that patient you had… Do you think this could be him? You said he wanted to be a bear or whatever, and I know you try and get your patients to kill. Hannibal…” Will asks.

“I think I should pay him a visit,” Hannibal murmurs. 

“If it’s him, are you going to kill him? He might pin this on you if you influenced him to kill,” Will says. 

“Maybe I should give him this address and tell him you’re the agent on the case and you are going to catch him, then when he comes here, I will kill him for trying to kill you,” Hannibal says.

“Do you think about this kind of stuff a lot?” Will asks, turning to look at him. He knows this isn’t a plan off the top of Hannibal’s head. 

“I will admit I fantasize scenarios where I can kill, have the FBI aware of it, and get away with it, yes.”

“You just like taunting them.” 

“You know me so well.”

“If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I’m not bailing you out.”

Hannibal laughs. “They likely would not let me out on bail for murder charges.”

“Probably not…” Will pauses before continuing, “Okay, I have some conditions. First, Abigail can’t be here. Send her on a vacation, give her money for a road trip with friends. I don’t care. We’re not endangering her. Second, if he hurts one of our pets, I’m killing him myself.”

“That sounds perfectly reasonable. Anything else?”

“We need a story for Jack after the fact, but we don’t need to worry about it now,” Will says. He piles up the photos and puts them back inside the folder. He brings them over to his laptop bag, and sets them inside, then looks at Hannibal, still naked as ever. 

“Can we go upstairs now?” Hannibal asks. He’s standing next to the staircase, one hand on the railing, one foot up on the first step. Will watches him from across the room, not saying anything, just to see if Hannibal’s going to start begging. Not that he really ever does. “Darling, if you don’t stop standing there I’m just going to go upstairs and get started on my own.”

“What about that shower you wanted?”

“We can skip the shower,” Hannibal says. He turns to walk up the stairs, and Will waits a few minutes, just to see if Hannibal will actually get started without him. Of course he does.

Will stands in the bedroom doorway, watching Hannibal slowly stroke his cock, back slightly arched off the bed, toes starting to curl. Several animals have followed Will up the stairs, and he pushes the curious dogs back into the hallway, then shuts the door. Hannibal turns his head when Will moves from the doorway, taking off his shirt as he walks toward the mattress. He pulls down his pants and boxers in one push and steps out of them before laying down on the bed on his stomach next to Hannibal.

With his free hand, Hannibal grabs the back of Will’s neck to pull him in for a kiss, and Will pushes himself up on his hands and knees and moves to straddle Hannibal’s hips. Hannibal removes his hand from his cock to wrap both around Will’s back and pull him forward until they’re chest to chest.

“I love you,” Hannibal whispers, kissing Will’s forehead. 

“I love you too,” Will breaths. He starts to rock his hips a bit, seeking friction, the need to get closer to Hannibal. “I think this is the first time in a month I’m not taking you to bed because you’re stressed out.”

Hannibal hums and nuzzles Will’s neck with his face. “You may be right. I am completely stress-free right now.”

“Not worried about the basement anymore?”

“Jack Crawford didn’t seem to notice it while he was here, and I believe it’ll only be exposed for a few more days,” Hannibal says. He kisses Will’s neck, light and gentle. 

Will, now fully hard, continues to rock his hips against Hannibal’s for another moment before pulling himself out of Hannibal’s arms and opening the nightstand drawer. He retrieves the lube and puts it in Hannibal’s hand.

“I take it you want me to fuck you,” Hannibal whispers. Will feels himself getting even harder at Hannibal’s words, loving when Hannibal says  _ fuck _ because it’s something Will is the only person to hear. Will nods before laying on his back and spreading his legs. 

Hannibal kneels between Will’s spread legs, coats his fingers in lube and presses two into Will, earning a gasp from Will. Will doesn’t need much to be prepared, he’s been fucked enough in the past week, but Hannibal loves being thorough, eliciting small gasps and low moans every time Will feels Hannibal brush his prostate. 

“Come on, we don’t have all night,” Will groans. He reaches for Hannibal’s free hand and Hannibal removes his fingers, and leans forward to kiss Will, placing his hands on both sides of Will’s head to bear his weight. 

“Patience, darling,” Hannibal murmurs. 

“I’m sick of being patient,” Will whispers. He wraps his legs around Hannibal’s waist, pulling him forward with his heels digging into Hannibal’s back. With that, Hannibal lines himself up and pushes into Will with one hard thrust, causing Will to cry out.

Hannibal stays where he is, allowing Will to adjust to the sudden stretch, and he brings Will’s right hand to his lips to kiss his knuckles. Hannibal pulls the hand a few inches from his face and appears to be examining it. 

“This has healed well, my darling. It’s scarred, but not as badly as it could have been,” Hannibal says. 

Will groans. “Why do you only talk about my wounded hand when we’re having sex?”

Hannibal starts to move, pulling out almost entirely before slowly pushing back in. He drops Will’s hand and leans forward, pressing their foreheads together. Hannibal has his eyes closed, which surprises Will because Hannibal is very fond of eye contact. It’s several long seconds before Hannibal answers, and Will knows he’s more focused on his thrusts and their mutual pleasure than having this conversation.

Hannibal sighs. “Perhaps I may be conditioning you to associate killing with something more pleasurable and safe for you. Your hand was a result of killing Matthew Brown, and by mentioning it while you are in a state of content, where you are in my arms, I am hoping to redirect any feelings that caused you pain.”

“Of course,” Will huffs. Hannibal picks up the pace of his thrusts and Will moans, arching his back and throwing his head back into the pillow. Hannibal takes that moment to kiss along Will’s throat, grazing his teeth along Will’s skin, then kissing again. Will knows what Hannibal really wants to do, and can sense that Hannibal isn’t sure if he’ll be allowed if he asks permission, so Will whispers, “You can bite me.” 

That’s all it takes for Hannibal to sink his teeth into Will’s neck, not hard enough to break skin, but he still feels Hannibal’s sharp teeth digging in, still feels the pain. Hannibal releases, then licks and kisses over the spot to soothe the skin before sucking enough to bruise. Will moans and grasps at the hair on the back of Hannibal’s head, tangling his fingers into the strands. 

Hannibal pulls back and pulls out of Will, causing Will to whine at the loss and reach for Hannibal, trying to get him to come back, but Hannibal just smiles and rolls Will over onto his stomach before pushing back in from behind. 

Will pushes his hips up and back to meet Hannibal’s thrusts, both of them groaning together. The dogs in the hall start pawing at the door, trying to investigate the noise, but suddenly they run off down the hall, and Will realizes someone just knocked on the front door.

“Fuck,” Will groans, knowing they have to speed this up. He reaches below himself and wraps his fingers around his cock, as Hannibal speeds up his thrusts, both of them chasing their orgasms so they can see who’s here, and Will wishes they didn’t have to hurry because everything felt so perfect, and now their moment is mostly ruined by whoever is knocking. 

After they’ve both come, and Hannibal pulls out, he presses a kiss to Will’s shoulder, before rolling off the bed and quickly pulling on his clothes again. He hands his robe to Will, and Will rolls over and accepts it. 

“Go shower, love. I’ll join you after I send whoever it is home,” Hannibal whispers, and presses a kiss to Will’s forehead, then leaves the room. Will puts the robe on and steps out of the bedroom. He can feel the wetness on his stomach and leaking down the insides of his thighs, and walks to the bathroom carefully. He can hear hushed voices downstairs, and really hopes Hannibal sends them home and comes up soon, but he has a strong feeling that won’t be the case. 

After several long minutes of cleaning himself, he finally hears the bathroom door open and shut again and looks around the shower curtain to see that Hannibal is making no attempt to take off his clothes again and Will sighs in disappointment. 

“What?” Will asks, stepping back under the spray to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. 

“Margot’s here,” Hannibal says. He sounds like he’s telling Will bad news, but Will knows he wouldn’t sound that way unless something is wrong. 

Will shuts off the shower, and steps out, quickly picking up a towel and drying himself off. He wraps the towel around his hips and pushes past Hannibal to get back to the bedroom to get dressed. Hannibal follows close behind. 

“Is she okay?” Will asks when he pulls a shirt over his head. He notices Hannibal is changing too, which is understandable, but then realizes he’s putting on one of his nice suits and grabbing a scarf as well, which can only mean… “Hannibal, where are you going?”

Hannibal looks at him and sighs. “I’m afraid Margot is in need of medical attention. I believe her wrist may be broken and she needs an x-ray. Will, I need you to do me a favor.”

Will feels pure rage, knowing Mason is the one that did this to her. Hannibal reaches out and grabs his hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss his clenched knuckles. “My love, now is not the time. We need to make sure Margot is safe. Mason can be dealt with later.”

Will nods and closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. He swallows and asks, “What do you need me to do?”

“Take her car and get it as far away from here as possible. Call Abigail, tell her you need to be picked up from that location and that she is not to come home alone first,” Hannibal speaks in an urgent tone. He’s pulling Will out of the bedroom before Will can even agree to it. 

Downstairs, Margot is cradling her hand to her chest, her face twisted into a grimace. Will can see bruises dotting her face, blood soaking through the shoulder of her shirt. He picks his phone up off the coffee table and turns it on, then asks for her keys. She reaches into her pocket with her good hand and hands them to Will. 

Hannibal ushers her outside and into Will’s car, and Will follows them outside. 

“Your car is less recognizable than mine,” Hannibal explains, but Will really doesn’t care what the reasoning is. He gets into Margot’s car and dials Abigail’s number once he’s on the road. 

“Hey, dad,” she answers. Will has to push aside the fond feeling that washes over him. Now is not the time.

“Listen, Abigail, Margot came by and she’s hurt. Hannibal’s taking her to the doctor, but I need to take her car far away. Do you think you could meet me there?” Will asks, trying to get the whole story out as quick as possible. 

“Yeah, of course,” she says. The next words are muffled, and Will figures she’s talking to her friends when she says, “Sorry guys, but there’s a family emergency. I have to go,” and then she’s speaking into the phone again “Where are you bringing it?”

“Union Station in DC. It’s only about half an hour from the house, but hopefully they’ll just assume she got on a train and is long gone,” Will explains. 

“Okay, I’m on my way now. I should be there soon.” 

Abigail hangs up and Will drives to DC, hoping that Mason Verger’s men don’t see him. When he makes it, Abigail’s already there and he quickly parks the car, checks the glove compartment and center console for anything Margot might need, and then leaves the car where it is, taking the keys with him. He gets into the passenger seat of Abigail’s Beetle and tells her to head towards home. 

He calls Hannibal. 

“Hello, darling. Is everything okay?” Hannibal answers. 

“Abigail just picked me up. Should we go home or meet you?”

“Come meet us please. I fear Mason might come to our house looking for Margot and I would prefer you don’t go home without me there,” Hannibal says. 

Will tells Abigail about the change of plans and she changes the course to take them to the hospital. 

“And you guys are okay?” Will asks. 

“Yes, we are fine. Margot is in getting an x-ray while I wait in the waiting room,” Hannibal says. 

“We’ll be there soon,” Will says. “I love you.”

“And I you.” 

When they arrive at the hospital, Abigail goes inside to find Hannibal while Will parks her car for her, and he hurries in, hands in his pockets. Abigail and Hannibal are sitting in the waiting room, Hannibal explaining the situation to her. Will sits down on Hannibal’s other side and leans into him, and Hannibal puts his arm around Will’s shoulders, pulling him in close so Will can tuck his head into Hannibal’s chest. 

He realizes just how exhausted he is now, how stressed he’s been since Hannibal said Margot was in their home. 

“How is she?” Will asks.

“She’ll be okay,” Hannibal says. “You’re tired.”

“No shit,” Will laughs. “I spent half the day in a river.”

Hannibal hums. “Yes, among doing other things.”

Abigail leans forward in her chair and turns so she can address both Hannibal and Will. “She can take my room tonight. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No,” Hannibal shakes his head. “I fear someone may try coming in tonight. Will and I will sleep downstairs. Margot can take our room for now.” 

Abigail lowers her voice. “It’s not as if  _ we’re _ up to anything illegal so why don’t you, I don’t know, tell Jack Crawford we need protection. Especially after yesterday, he would probably be quick to agree.”

Will thinks about this for a second. Unlike the Matthew Brown situation, there could very well be a real threat present. It’s impossible to know how powerful Mason Verger is without experiencing it first hand, so maybe a call to Jack would help them. They really aren’t up to anything illegal, except for the potential killing of Randall Tier, which could be postponed for a few weeks, depending on when he kills again, as long as he doesn’t get caught first. 

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea at all,” Will agrees. He lifts his head from Hannibal’s chest and looks up at him. “Hannibal?”

“Yes, I think you’re right.” 

Will nods and stands up. “I’m going outside to call Jack. You wanna come with me?”

Hannibal stands and looks at Abigail. “You’re okay here?” 

Abigail nods and Hannibal and Will walk outside into the cold fall air. Jack answers on the third ring.

“Hey, Jack. Would it be possible to have officers outside our house for a few days? One of Hannibal’s patients came to us hurt and we think her brother might come after her. With all of this, and what happened yesterday, I think we’re all worried,” Will explains. 

“I think you’re rightfully worried. I think I can arrange something for a few days. Are you guys home now?”

“No, we’re at the hospital. All four of us. I had to take Margot’s car to DC to throw her brother off her trail, but we think he might end up coming by. He did earlier because she was packing stuff up.”

“Is that the man that was sitting on your porch? He showed up as I was leaving.” Jack asks. 

“Yes. That’s him,” Will responds. “He has a lot of money and power, so we don’t want to take any chances.”

“Okay. I’ll send some people over. You guys stay safe, okay?”

“Yeah, we will. Thanks, Jack.” 

Will hangs up and turns to look at Hannibal. 

“He’s sending officers over. We’ll have to wait with our plan for a while, I think.”

“It might actually work in our favor if police witness the attack,” Hannibal whispers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and kudos!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just saying that most of this rotted my teeth so. Domestic Hannigram Hell is real and I can't escape it.

When Margot comes out, her wrist in a cast, the stab wound on her shoulder stitched up, Hannibal and Will both stand at the same time to greet her. Hannibal puts his coat over her shoulders and brings her out to Will’s car, getting in the driver’s seat. Abigail and Will go back to her car, and they all head for home. 

“Margot, I really think you should allow me to take care of Mason,” Hannibal says once they’re on the road. 

“I’ll lose-”

Hannibal cuts her off. “Everything, yes, I am aware. That is why you can stay with us for as long as you need, if not forever. Allow them to take your home and your money. You can earn your own, make a name for yourself, and you will be free from the harm of your brother.”

“I couldn’t possibly stay with you guys forever. You barely have room as it is,” Margot protests. 

“The space is only a temporary issue. Hopefully our home will be finished by the time summer comes again,” Hannibal tells her. “Consider it. I already know that Will would agree and that Abigail would allow you to share her room.” 

“I’ll consider it.” 

“Very good.” 

Hannibal is already planning Mason Verger’s demise, knowing he can fully convince Margot by the end of the weekend. 

Will and Abigail arrive home at the same time as Margot and Hannibal and, thankfully, no one is waiting for them. Hannibal holds the door open for everyone and lets the dogs run free, and then offers to take Margot’s things upstairs. 

“Hey Hannibal?” Will calls before Hannibal can start going up the stairs. He motions for Hannibal to come to him and Hannibal does, leaning in close so Will can whisper in his ear. “If she’s taking our room, change the sheets first.”

“Of course, darling.” 

So Hannibal does, and then brings their own blankets and pillows downstairs to set them on the couch, then brings up different blankets and a different pillow for Margot to use. 

“Our home is your home. Please do not hesitate to ask if you need anything,” Hannibal tells her. 

Margot nods. “I think I’m going to go to bed.”

“Of course,” Hannibal says and takes her upstairs to show her the bedroom. “We may come in tonight and in the morning to find clothes, but we will be careful not to disturb you.”

“It’s no problem, Doctor Lecter. Thank you for everything,” Margot smiles weakly and Hannibal leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. 

Back downstairs, Hannibal can hear Will and Abigail in the kitchen, laughing about something. When he goes in he sees that they’re attempting to make something for dinner, but the cats keep walking on the counter. 

“No cats in my kitchen,” Hannibal sighs. He doesn’t make an attempt to remove them, though. 

“Where’s Margot?” Will asks.

“Sleeping,” Hannibal answers. He takes the knife out of Will’s hand and starts cutting a potato that was set in front of Will. “What are we making?” 

“You’re making mashed potatoes,” Will says. “Abigail invited a friend over for dinner and to sleep over.”

Hannibal raises an eyebrow. “And what’s this friend's name?” 

“Nicky,” Abigail says. “She’ll be here soon. I met her at work.” 

Hannibal smiles. “I’m glad you’re making friends, Abigail. I know it’s been lonely since you left Minnesota.” 

“Yeah, I’m glad, too,” Abigail says. 

“I think we should perhaps discuss what to do should Mason send someone looking for Margot tonight. Of course, Abigail should be allowed to have friends come over, but there is always a chance there may be some sort of conflict in this household,” Hannibal says. 

“Don’t worry she’s uh, she’s cool.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“Like, she’s… _allegedly,”_ Abigail glances at Will, “quite possibly… a contract killer.”

“No she’s not,” Will says in disbelief. “And you just said that in front of an FBI agent.”

“I said _allegedly_ and you’re not even real FBI, anyways,” Abigail shrugs. 

“How did you even find this out?” Hannibal asks. 

“People confide in me for some reason. After everything with my dad people think they’re just kind of… safe to reveal their secrets.”

“And how do you know she’s not a FBI informant trying to find out if you were an accessory to your father’s crimes?” Will asks. 

“Don’t get mad, but I’ve gone with her on one or two of her missions.” 

“That’s reckless, Abigail,” Hannibal reprimands.

“Oh, you’re one to speak. _You_ fell in love with an FBI special agent.” 

Will snorts, to which Hannibal glares at him, and Will raises both hands in surrender. He still has a smirk on his face, though. 

The sound of a car pulling a causes them all to look out the window. Will sighs. “Ah shit. I completely forgot about the officers Jack was gonna send. I’ll be right back.” Will walks out the front door.

When he’s gone, Abigail says, “So did you do it?”

“Hm?” Hannibal doesn’t look up from the bowl of potatoes he’s now mashing. 

“You said like a week ago you were going to propose the next time you and Will had one of your fishing-picnic dates,” Abigail says impatiently. “I thought that’s why you even agreed to go today.” 

Hannibal’s mind flickers to the ring that he has hidden in his coat pocket. He had forgotten after all of their interruptions. 

“Jack Crawford interrupted our picnic, then Mason Verger showed up and put Will on edge and then we… got distracted.”

“What about after your distraction?” Abigail puts air quotes around the word ‘distraction.’

“I’m afraid that was interrupted by Margot showing up so we didn’t get an after.”

“You guys can never catch a break,” Abigail laughs. 

“What’s that about catching a break?” Will’s asking as he strides back into the kitchen. 

“I was just telling Abigail about how everyone we know likes to interrupt our days.”

“Tell me about it,” Will grumbles. “I told the officers your friend’s coming and that they shouldn’t shoot her when she walks up to the house.”

“Oh shit. I should warn her that there are police here,” Abigail runs to get her phone from the kitchen table. 

“How many times have I said to watch your language, Abigail?” Hannibal asks. 

“You let Will swear.”

Will looks up at him. “You do, Hannibal. And guess what Abigail? I’ve heard Hannibal say _fuck.”_

“That is untrue, darling, and you know it,” Hannibal lies. 

“Oh fuck off,” Will laughs. 

Abigail sets her phone back down again and then says to Hannibal, “I think you should do it now.”

“Do what now?” Will asks. 

“Tell you about what I said to Margot in the car today,” Hannibal lies. He can feel Abigail staring daggers at him. “I said she should let me take care of Mason now and that she can stay with us for as long as she needs. She should let them take everything and build a name for herself.”

“That does seem like a better option. Get rid of that fucker, and she’ll still have a home with us,” Will shrugs. “It’s not like anyone _needs_ that kind of money anyways.” 

“Of course not,” Hannibal agrees. “I do have a plan but I think I would rather wait to tell you until Abigail goes to bed.”

“Oh come on,” Abigail protests. 

Hannibal ignores her. Will gets started on preparing the fish he caught earlier and when there’s a knock on the door, Abigail goes to answer it. 

When Abigail comes back into the room, a girl with dyed orange hair and several face piercings is following her. Hannibal is taken aback, never having had someone like that in his home before. He looks to Will, who doesn’t seem phased at all. He hopes she isn’t as loud as her hair might suggest.

“This is Nicky. Nicky these are my dads,” Abigail says. 

Will smiles, “Will Graham, nice to meet you, Nicky. So you two met at work, then?” 

Nicky nods. “You’re the one that killed her bio dad, then?”

She doesn’t sound resentful, just as if she’s asking a perfectly normal question for a first meeting. 

“Uh. Yes. Hannibal was there too. He saved Abigail’s life,” Will answers. 

Hannibal notices the way the girls stand next to each other, Abigail with a hand on Nicky’s back, the same way that he and Will often stand next to each other. He won’t ask if Abigail doesn’t want to tell. 

“That I did,” Hannibal smiles. He holds out a hand to shake Nicky’s. “Hannibal Lecter. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too. Thank you for having me over,” she smiles. 

Hannibal is very pleased with her politeness, and realises he was too quick to judge based on her choices of appearance. If she makes Abigail happy, then he has no right to dislike her. Especially after he fell in love with the rudest man he has ever met. 

“Of course,” Hannibal smiles. “Dinner won’t be ready for a bit and I will not force you two to help so please go do… whatever young women do.” He really has no idea. 

The girls leave the kitchen and Hannibal looks at Will, who is now frying the fish on the stove. “She seems nice,” Hannibal says. 

“Yeah. You looked like you were about to have an aneurysm, baby,” Will laughs. “Have you never seen someone with three nose piercings before?” 

“I can’t say I have seen that very often, no. Do you still think she might be an FBI informant?”

“If she is, she has really committed to making it look like she wouldn’t be. Though, I can’t imagine why a contract killer would have such easily identifiable hair or piercings,” Will shrugs. 

“Perhaps she disguises herself. It’s always possible to wear a wig, and remove piercings. If anyone ever saw her without, then they wouldn’t recognize her with them.” 

Will makes a noise that sounds like he agrees, but doesn’t say anything more on the subject. 

When dinner’s ready, Will goes to find Abigail and Nicky while Hannibal sets the table. Will has to put the dogs in the other room while they eat because they won’t leave Nicky alone, but the cats get to stay. Right up until one pushes a glass off the counter and Hannibal sets down his fork with all the calmness in the world, and stands up like he’s not bothered at all, then scoops up all three cats off the counter, and puts them in the other room. Then he sits down again. 

“You’re scary when you do that shit,” Will mumbles.

“Do what? Remove the cats from the room?” Hannibal raises an eyebrow.

“No, when you’re obviously beyond pissed off and you pretend you’re not even bothered,” Abigail says. 

“Yeah. That,” Will agrees. 

Nicky’s eyes are shifting from all three of them, the corner of her mouth slightly lifted as if she’s trying not to smile outright. 

“Well, then I apologize for not lashing out,” Hannibal says. “I can yell next time.”

“Shut up,” Will says. “You don’t even know _how_ to yell.”

“I do, too. I just prefer not to,” Hannibal shrugs. “You wouldn’t want me to, so I don’t.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Will winks. 

“Please stop,” Abigail pleads. 

“Stop what?” Hannibal asks innocently.

“This is how you guys flirt. Knock it off.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Abigail,” Will says. 

“Nor do I,” Hannibal tells her. 

“Hey, Hannibal, when are you going to do that thing?” Abigail raises an eyebrow at him. She should know better than to think Hannibal would propose at dinner like this. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you are referencing, Abigail. Is everyone done? I’m afraid I did not have time to plan dessert, but there might be ice cream in the freezer,” Hannibal smiles. He stands and starts collecting empty plates. “Will, did you want a drink? I think I would like a drink.”

“Sure, baby,” Will smiles. He stretches his arms above his head and then relaxes in his chair again. 

“So how long have you two been together?” Nicky asks. “If you don’t mind me asking.” 

“Not at all,” Will smiles. “Hannibal, it’s been what? Nine months?”

“Hm. Something like that, yes. Are we counting the fake dates or from the day you tried to stab me?” 

“I’m sorry, _what?”_ Nicky asks. Her eyes light up and she turns to Will. “I have got to hear that story.”

“To be fair, I’ve tried stabbing him several times,” Will shrugs. “There’s nothing to it, he just gets on my nerves.”

Hannibal is grinning as he sets a glass of wine in front of Will. He kisses his temple before sitting down with his own glass. “I love you, too, darling,” Hannibal smiles. 

A phone starts ringing and they all check their pockets to see if it’s theirs, but it’s Hannibals. He sighs and looks at the caller ID before answering. “Hello, Alana.”

“Hi, Hannibal. Is it okay if I stop by? Margot asked me to pick up a few things for her,” Alana explains. “She’s not answering now, though. I guess she might be asleep.”

“Yes, Alana that is perfectly fine. When should we expect you?”

“Five minutes?” Alana sounds somewhat uncertain. 

“Very well. Just a warning that we do have officers outside our home doing surveillance just in case. I will have Will go out and tell them you’re on your way.”

“Okay. See you soon, then.”

Will’s already standing up to go outside before Hannibal can even hang up the phone. When he’s gone, Abigail once again asks when Hannibal’s going to propose. 

“You’re going to propose?” Nicky asks. 

Hannibal sighs. “Abigail, I do not know when. Today would have been great, but we kept getting interrupted.”

“So what? You’re going to wait for the perfect moment? You guys will _never_ get that. You get interrupted every time you try and do something for yourselves. Even yesterday you were having a halfway decent time and it was interrupted by me killing that guy. There’s never going to be a moment that you’re waiting for. Do it when he comes back inside,” Abigail says. 

Abigail’s right in a way. They have had nice times together, but something always gives them a reality check. Every single time. Their relationship has so many instances where they have to completely live in the moment, because at any time Jack could call, or Abigail could knock, or a killer could show up on their doorstep, or one of them could end up in prison. He still doesn’t know if he can do it now, during a time that isn’t even special at all. Just the time after dinner, before Alana shows up, before they settle into their spots in front of the TV or with books or laptops to finish work before Monday. 

He’s always pictured doing it while they were doing something they love, but that’s… Hannibal realizes that the thing he loves most is just being with Will at any moment. He thinks of the way Will lazily pets Hannibal’s head when it’s laid in his lap, as if Hannibal’s just another cat in the house; the way Hannibal has to reach out and stop Will from shaking his foot while they’re sitting together, but Will just starts again the second Hannibal moves his hand; how Will insists on listening to rock music in the car and sometimes drums his hands on the steering wheel; when Will puts a hand on his thigh at the opera, just so they can always be touching; how he always lets Hannibal wash his hair for him, just because he knows how Hannibal enjoys doing it. Hannibal could go on and on, but it all comes down to the fact that even the most mundane things are so important to him, that maybe a proposal doesn’t have to be anything fancy to be special.

Because every moment he’s shared with Will has been special to him. Every moment has been something he never thought he could possibly have, but Will accepts every part of Hannibal and seems to cherish him all the same. So why wouldn’t he accept a marriage proposal that isn’t elaborately planned? 

“Okay. I will,” Hannibal says finally. Hannibal leaves the kitchen to go find his coat where it’s hanging by the front door, and removes the box with the ring. He can see Will through the window, and Alana walking up the steps of the porch. 

With the ring behind his back, and with Abigail and Nicky watching from the kitchen doorway, Hannibal waits for Will to come back inside. When the door opens, Hannibal’s heart seizes at how the cold had made Will’s cheeks pink while he waited, the way he’s smiling big at something Alana must have said, and keeps smiling when he sees Hannibal standing in front of him. 

Will turns around to take Alana’s coat from her, and in that moment, Hannibal goes down on one knee and holds out the open ring box. Alana’s mouth drops open, which causes Will to spin around to see what’s going on behind him. 

“Oh, fuck you,” is what Will says. Before Hannibal can show any disappointment, Will is digging in his coat pocket and pulling out a ring himself. “I was waiting for the right fucking moment, you absolute _ass.”_

“As was I, but I realized we never truly get the right moments, now do we?” Hannibal smiles. “Is that a yes, then, darling?”

Will pulls Hannibal up by a hand and once he’s standing, Will puts his hands on both sides of Hannibal’s face and kisses him.

“You haven’t actually asked,” Will points out. “And since I said I was going to do it first… Hannibal, will you marry me?” 

“Yes, but only if you’ll marry me,” Hannibal whispers. 

“Yes, I will.” Will kisses him again.

Alana makes an excited noise and claps, and Abigail says “Fucking finally,” and Nicky laughs at that. Hannibal gives Alana a look, and she nods and goes toward the kitchen, pushing Abigail and Nicky back into the other room, and Hannibal is grateful for the privacy.

“Did I _really_ wait too long?” Will asks.

“Yes, I know I said I’d only ask first if you waited too long, but once the idea was planted in my head as something you would be agreeable to, I could not shake it. I wanted to do it today during our picnic, or after in bed, but we got interrupted too many times,” Hannibal whispers. He brushes Will’s hair away from his eyes and kisses his forehead. “Abigail reminded me that every moment with you is the perfect moment for me.”

Will rests his forehead against Hannibal’s and they wrap their arms around each other. “I’ve been meaning to do it, especially after yesterday when I had a shit day and showed up at your office, and you knew exactly how to fix it. I knew I had to after that, but then everything happened here, and then I was going to make you breakfast this morning and ask then, but Jack’s call kind of ruined the mood for the morning,” Will whispers. “We _do_ get interrupted a _lot,_ don’t we?”

“It’s as if people think we only live to serve them. You understand why I prefer you reject Jack’s calls.”

“I do understand. Sometimes I think about leaving the FBI and taking a normal teaching position just so I don’t have to be called to crime scenes on my days off,” Will sighs. 

“Why don’t you? Teach at a University,” Hannibal suggests. 

Will shakes his head. He looks over Hannibal’s shoulder to make sure no one’s in the room, and drops his voice as low as possible, whispering in Hannibal’s ear, “Having me in the FBI benefits us. If I do leave, any investigation against us would come as a surprise. At least while I’m there I can direct people away from us by making things up for profiles.”

“As much as I would like for you to leave, I know you are correct,” Hannibal agrees. He kisses Will and then lets him go, stepping away. He opens the ring box again and takes Will’s hand, sliding it onto his finger. Will does the same to him. 

“I love you. Sorry for calling you an asshole for trying to propose before me,” Will says. He takes hold of Hannibal’s hand and brings them into the kitchen.

“I love you, too, and you had every right to do so,” Hannibal shrugs. 

“Congrats, you guys,” Alana says when they walk into the kitchen. “Seriously. I know at the beginning I was unhappy with the both of you, but you two prove every day how good you are for each other.”

In that moment, every argument, every death threat, every knife held to the other’s throat, flashes through his mind, but he can’t even think of those things as bad. It just means they’ve met each other’s matches. While Alana would tell them that these are signs that things are unhealthy, he doesn’t see it that way for him and Will, not the way they are, or how they resolve all of these issues, so he just nods, and says, “Thank you, Alana.”

After that, Abigail and Nicky go up to hang out in Abigail’s room, and Hannibal shows Alana to the bedroom where Margot is sleeping, so she can bring Margot the things she brought over. He decides to bring clothes downstairs for him and Will then, and leaves Alana where she is. When he goes to walk out, he sees Alana sit down on the bed next to Margot, and put a hand on her shoulder. Margot starts to stir just as Hannibal closes the door again. He changes into pajamas in the bathroom, and knows the pair he’s bringing for Will won’t even be worn. 

Back downstairs, Will is laying on the couch, a blanket pulled up to his chin, something on the TV with low volume. 

“Are we alone for a bit?” Will asks. He sits up so Hannibal can sit on the couch where his own head was, then he lays back down with his head in Hannibal’s lap. 

“Hm, I believe so,” Hannibal says. He picks up the TV remote from where it’s sitting on the coffee table and turns up the volume a bit. 

“I can’t believe we were going to propose on the same day,” Will says after some time of silence. 

“We know each other quite well. You said a long time ago that you wanted to know me. I think you do now. Perhaps more than either of us truly know,” Hannibal says. He runs his fingers through Will’s hair as he speaks and Will lifts a hand to take the hand off his head and lace their fingers together. 

“You’ve given me a rare gift, Hannibal,” Will whispers. 

“I’m very glad you accepted that gift. I am aware that it can be hard to know me, and see me, sometimes, but you have never wavered in your love for me. That, in turn, is a gift as well.” 

Will doesn’t say anything, but he really doesn’t have to. Eventually Hannibal lays down behind Will so they’re both laying on their sides with a blanket over them. Hannibal wraps an arm around Will’s waist and Will holds his hand. The dogs are laying on the floor in front of the fireplace, which doesn’t even have a fire going in it, but it’s their favorite spot. 

Alana comes downstairs and Hannibal sits up slightly and looks over the back of the couch when he hears her footsteps on the stairs. She smiles at them.

“Bet you guys wish you didn’t get rid of Will’s old bed,” she laughs. 

“We needed room for Hannibal’s harpsichord, of course,” Will says from where he’s still laying, not having moved at all. Hannibal thought he might have fallen asleep, but now knows he did not. “Not that he ever plays it.”

“We have been busy. Would you like me to play it right now?”

“No. Stay where you are,” Will mumbles. 

“Well, I’m leaving. I offered that Margot could come stay with me, but she said she feels safe here with you guys. Call me if anything happens, okay?”

“Of course, Alana. Get home safely,” Hannibal smiles. He lays back down behind Will and pulls him tight into his chest. “And could you please lock the door?”

“Sure,” Alana smiles, and clicks the lock before pulling the door shut. 

When they’re alone again, Will sighs. “How long are we going to have to sleep on this couch?”

“I can pick up your old bed from the storage unit tomorrow.”

“That would be nice. I’ll go with you.”

They fall asleep not too long after that, with all of the animals in the room with them. Michelangelo is curled up as small as possible on the couch by their feet, Winston is stretched out on the floor directly in front of the couch, the other dogs are in their beds. The cats all sit on top of the couch on the back rest.

Hannibal wakes up to the sound of dogs growling and cats hissing and sits up. He shakes Will’s shoulder and he stirs, then when he seems to hear the dogs growling, he sits up quickly and looks around. The dogs are all facing the front door, and Hannibal can hear the sound of someone trying to pick the lock. He wonders how they got past the police officers.

Both men sit in the dark living room, waiting for the intruder to finally open the door. All seven dogs run at him, barking louder now. Abigail and Nicky come quietly down the stairs, and Hannibal sees that Nicky is carrying a gun. He shakes his head at her, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble that would come with shooting him.

Hannibal realizes he’s weaponless himself, but Will reaches under the couch cushion and removes the switchblade Beverly bought him for his birthday. Will hands it to Hannibal and Hannibal takes it. He probably has the best chance of using it effectively out of everyone in the room. 

Will picks up his phone and sends a text, likely to the officers outside, and they all just stay where they are, the man in the doorway not seeming to notice any of them somehow. Next comes Mason, in through the doorway, and he sees Hannibal and Will, awake and ready to attack if they need to. 

“Ah, Mr Graham and Dr Lecter! Fancy seeing you here. Why are you sleeping on the couch? Did you give up your room to someone else? My sister perhaps?” Mason’s shrieking, annoying voice rings through the entire house. The dogs are still growling at him. Hannibal can see the officers through the window, slowly walking up to the porch, guns drawn. 

Hannibal whispers in Will’s ear, “When the officers try to arrest them, we say it’s a misunderstanding and we let Mason go. I have a plan for him.”

Will nods.

“Please step out of the house, gentlemen,” one of the officers says. 

Mason and his helper both turn and raise their hands in the air. 

“This is just a misunderstanding, officers,” Mason says. “Right, guys? Just a misunderstanding?”

Will clears his throat. “Yeah. Sorry, officers. We’re all good here. Mister Verger was just about to leave. Sorry for the false alarm.”

“Mister Graham, are you sure?” The other officer asks. 

“Yes.”

Mason and his helper hurry back out the front door and Hannibal can hear the car start again and drive away.

The officers linger in the doorway. 

“Seriously, guys. He knows you’re here, so he won’t be bothering us again,” Will tells them.

They hesitate for a second before finally nodding and shutting the front door again and going back to their car. Will gets up and locks it again, then secures the deadbolt, which they should have done earlier. 

“You girls can go back to bed, we’re fine down here,” Will tells Abigail and Nicky. Abigail huffs and they both go back upstairs. 

Will sits back down on the couch, sitting up against Hannibal’s chest, and leaning into him while Hannibal leans against the arm rest. 

“Are you going to tell me your plan?” Will asks.

“Eventually, but not tonight.”

Will nods and tips his head against Hannibal’s shoulder. He says, “I don’t know if I’m going to fall back asleep. I can go sit in the kitchen if you want to lay back down.”

“What are you going to do in the kitchen?” Hannibal asks. He wraps his arms around Will’s waist and holds him tighter.

“Work on my lecture slides for Monday.”

“You can do that right here,” Hannibal says. “Or just sit with me and do that tomorrow evening.”

“Okay,” Will sighs. Instead of getting up, he turns the TV back on and they sit like that, watching a movie together. 

When the movie ends, Will turns around in Hannibal’s arms and kisses him softly.

“Lay back down,” Will whispers, and moves to lay back on his side. Hannibal lays behind him again, and they fall asleep on the couch, sleeping through the rest of the night without any more interruptions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. We're looking at one more chapter and then an epilogue, but! Don't worry, I think I'll be writing a few more timestamps for this because I feel like this universe and these characters got too complex for me to leave behind entirely. If the series gets marks as complete, just know that I might add timestamps anyways, but the bulk of the series (the three main parts) will be finished after this one is done. 
> 
> Also, Nicky is just an original character, only named that because I asked for name suggestions on twitter and Nicky was the first one I got. She's just there because I wanted Abigail to have a girlfriend lmao. 
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos! And also, if you have a specific scene from any part of this series that you want written from the opposite perspective, or if there's specific parts in time jumps where you'd be interested in a short filler, let me know! I have a few ideas already, but I'm always open to suggestions. Okay this was a long note, I apologize.


	13. Chapter 13

Will wakes up to Hannibal rubbing circles on his stomach. He catches the hand in his own and brings it to his lips to kiss Hannibal’s knuckles. 

“Good morning,” Hannibal whispers in Will’s ear. He kisses the back of his neck. “Nicky and Abigail both have early shifts today, and Margot is in the kitchen making coffee.” 

“How long have you been awake?” Will mumbles. He turns around to face Hannibal. The couch doesn’t make it easy and he nearly falls off, but Hannibal catches him around the waist and pulls him back in close to him. 

“An hour maybe,” Hannibal shrugs. 

“You didn’t have to stay and wait for me to wake up. This couch sucks,” Will tells him. Hannibal catches his lips with his own. 

“I wanted to stay,” Hannibal responds. “But yes, this couch is horrific for a full night’s sleep.” 

Will suddenly remembers the previous night. “You’re going to want an engagement party, aren’t you?”

“Yes, of course. Right now, though, I would like a shower.” 

Will laughs and sits up, putting his feet on the floor and accidentally stepping on a cat, which darts out of the room before he can even apologize. He stretches his arms above his head, then rubs his face and looks around.

“Dogs?” 

“In the kitchen, I should think,” Hannibal answers. He sits up next to Will and lifts Will’s left hand in his own to kiss the ring on his finger. Hannibal turns his head and kisses Will’s cheek before standing and stretching. Will can hear half of Hannibal’s bones pop and refrains from saying something about his old age. 

“Go shower,” Will tells Hannibal.

“You don’t want to join me?”

Will does, he really, really wouldn’t mind showering with Hannibal, but if Hannibal actually wants to get clean, it would be best if Will is not there to distract him from that. So Will shakes his head. 

“No, but I need to shave and brush my teeth so I’ll be in the bathroom, anyways. I showered yesterday,” Will says. They start walking towards the stairs and Will goes into their room to pick out clothes, having not liked what Hannibal chose for him the night before. He’s sure Hannibal had known Will wouldn’t wear what he picked. He carries the clothes into the bathroom and sets them on Hannibal’s pile of clean clothes, folded neatly on top of the closed toilet.

Hannibal steps into the shower, leaving Will in front of the sink to do what he needs to do. While Will stands there, trimming his facial hair in his tshirt and his boxers, he can’t help but think about how his life ended up where it has. 

Being friends with a serial killer, pretending to date him, falling in love, and moving in together, and now they’re going to get married… Will thinks he has to have lost his entire mind. He knows none of this is morally good, but he’s always found ways to justify his thoughts and feelings. Will knows he isn’t innocent, but he also knows he should be better than what he is. Hannibal makes him forget that, embraces Will’s good and bad sides like no one ever has. 

At this point in his life, he’s had relationships, hookups, casual partners, whatever, but no one has  _ ever _ made Will feel the way Hannibal does. No one else ever will. He knows he’s making the right decision. It’s impossible not to think what could have happened instead. 

Will figures it would’ve ended in him dying in Hannibal’s Baltimore home after trying to give him up to the FBI, and that would have come after the framing Hannibal had planned. Really, if Hannibal would have gone through with that, there’s no way Will would have chosen Hannibal’s side. How fragile everything seems. If Will hadn’t asked Hannibal to stay in the guest room with him that night before Tobias’s attack, had Will not curled around Hannibal and held onto him through the night… where would they have ended up? Certainly not here. Probably right back in therapy again, trying to convince each other of loyalty that is in no way true. 

Shaking his head, trying to expel all of these thoughts from his brain, Will just pulls off his shirt and pushes down his boxers and decides to get in the shower with Hannibal. He needs to stop thinking about what might have been, and think about what  _ is.  _ And what it is, is true love, maybe even some obsession, but that hardly matters. They know each other, see each other, have accepted each other’s gifts of clarity. That’s what matters. 

Hannibal turns around, lifts his hands to Will’s face and runs his thumbs along Will’s cheeks, and Will realizes he’s wiping away tears. Hannibal whispers, “What’s wrong, my love?”

Will shakes his head and smiles, “Nothing, Hannibal. Everything’s perfect, and I can’t believe where we have ended up, but I’m beyond happy for it.”

“The feeling is mutual, darling,” Hannibal smiles. He leans down to kiss Will once, then turns them around so Will is standing under the spray of the shower instead. He puts his hands on Will’s shoulders and turns him around, so Will’s back is to him. Will knows he’s going to wash his hair before Hannibal even reaches for the shampoo. He’s right. 

\-----

They bring Will’s old bed back to Wolf Trap from Hannibal’s storage unit, along with a few other things that Hannibal deems necessary, even though Will really doesn’t know why they need more lamps, or paintings, or chairs in their house. Whatever Hannibal wants, though. Will knows the chairs are probably going to come into use when they have the inevitable engagement party, but Will really does not want to think about that until it’s absolutely necessary. 

Margot is watching TV when they return home, and she asks them about the previous night, so Hannibal tells her what happened with Mason. Will remembers they promised Alana they would call, so Will does that, and all she asks is that they stay safe. 

When their respective conversations are done, Hannibal takes Will into the kitchen, and tells him that Margot gave them the go ahead to kill Mason Verger. Hannibal tells Will his plan, and Will is itching to put it into motion, but Hannibal insists on patience. 

Figuring that the coast is clear, and that Mason won’t come to their house again, at least not uninvited, Hannibal and Will both agree they can move back into their own bedroom instead of staying vigilant on the ground floor. They bring Will’s old bed into Abigail’s room, and while it’s a tight fit, it works well enough. Abigail already agreed to share with Margot, and they hope she hasn’t changed her mind. 

Hannibal and Will help bring Margot’s things into Abigail’s room, and Hannibal brings up the small dresser that he brought home, too. Margot stands off to the side while they work, both of them insisting that she should just let them do it instead of having her hurt her wrist even more. 

“So Abigail and Nicky are cute together,” Margot says casually.

Confused, Will says, “Oh, they’re just friends.”

“Uh huh, and so are you and Hannibal, then I would assume?” Margot asks. “They’re totally dating. Take it from a lesbian, guys.”

“No, Abigail would’ve told us,” Will shakes his head. Would she have?

“To be fair, I also thought so, but I was not going to mention it if Abigail was not ready to say anything,” Hannibal says. He doesn’t look up from where he’s putting Margot’s clothes into the dresser drawers. “I believe she wanted to see how we felt about Nicky before telling us.”

Will nods. He guesses that makes sense. A punk contract killer girlfriend could make normal dads apprehensive, for sure, but Abigail isn’t really their daughter, so she shouldn’t care what they think. Besides, Will fell in love with a cannibal who has killed and eaten more people than Hannibal’s willing to tell him. Will has no room to speak against anyone Abigail brings home to meet them. 

Both Hannibal and Will agree not to bring it up to her, but Margot says she won’t promise anything. “I’ve always wanted a younger sister,” she says. “I think Abigail and I will get along great.”

Will likes that there’s another woman in the house for Abigail to talk to and confide in now. Like the big sister she never had. It can’t be easy living with two men at her age. They really don’t understand young women. 

\----

It’s the next Saturday when Will gets a call that the killer with an animalistic method to his killing has struck again. On the way to the crime scene, Hannibal calls Mason Verger and asks if he would be available to come over for dinner sometime in the coming week. He then calls Alana and asks if Margot and Abigail can stay with her for a few days. 

At the scene, Will explains to Jack that this is someone who sees themself as  _ other. _ Jack agrees - this is definitely not someone that sees themself as entirely human.

Hannibal steps in, explaining how some people suffer from species dysphoria, that this might be a case of this. 

Standing in the campsite where a couple were mutilated, their bodies torn about and strewn across the field, Will can’t help but shiver in the cold. Hannibal pulls his own gloves off his hands and gives them to Will, who has been standing there with his hands in his pockets the entire time to shield from the cold. When both of their hands are in the open, Hannibal now without gloves, and Will trying to pull them on to warm up, Beverly makes an exclamatory noise.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re  _ engaged?”  _ Beverly practically yells. 

“You  _ what?”  _ Jack questions from a few feet away. He’s been talking to Zeller and Price, who also turn and look at them.

Despite the cold, Will can feel heat rise in his cheeks and he smiles nervously. 

“It’s a rather new development,” Will offers. This doesn’t satisfy them at all. They all demand to know how it happened, so Hannibal tells them.

“Saturday?” Jack asks. Will nods and Jack continues, “Well, I’m sorry I interrupted the moment you wanted to do it.”

Hannibal shakes his head. “It has taken me some time to realize that waiting for the perfect moment will never get us very far. We would likely still be trying to find it for another ten years had we not decided to just do it.”

“Well, congrats you guys. I can’t say I’m not surprised you’ve made it this far,” Jack laughs. “Seriously! When you first met in my office I thought Will would never want to see Hannibal ever again! Look at you guys now.” 

“Yeah, look at us now,” Will agrees quietly. If only Jack knew half of it.

Jack’s a good guy, truly, and Will likes him, but Will has always thought that Jack is just too trusting for his own good. It works in Will and Hannibal’s favor, but Will sometimes feels bad for taking advantage of his kindness like that. He’s a huge part of the reason why Hannibal and Will met in the first place, so Will is always going to be grateful for that, but if Jack knew what parts of Hannibal Will is hiding, Jack would be completely devastated that he put his faith in Will Graham. At this point, Will can say the same about all of their friends. Continue this, making sure their lives are a secret, is as much for everyone else as it is for them. 

When the scene is cleaned up, body parts start getting transferred back to the lab, and Will tells them to call if they find anything useful. He promises that they’ll all be the first to know when they have a date for their engagement party, though he knows that their invitations will all just be sent out at the same exact time as everyone else’s.

On the ride home, Hannibal explains that he’ll have to wait to visit Randall Tier until Monday during a break in his appointments. Will tells him to do whatever is necessary.

\-----

On the night they invite Mason over for dinner, Abigail, Margot, and Nicky are all staying at Alana’s house. The police officers have since been called off, Will and Hannibal having convinced Jack that there’s no more threat. Mason turns up alone, which Will is actually very surprised about. Hannibal is cooking in the kitchen when Mason arrives, and Will has been standing in the living room, waiting for him. He opens the front door before Mason can even knock. 

“Good evening, Will Graham,” he says in the nasally voice that makes Will want to knock his lights out. “Congrats on your engagement. I have a gift for you.”

He opens up his white fur coat and pulls out a piglet wrapped in a blanket that he was hugging to his chest. 

“Oh. Thank you, Mason.” Will takes the pig. What’s one more animal? Really. He knows Hannibal won’t agree, but anything to make this night go smoothly, Will is willing to do. Mason puts a hand on the back of Will’s neck as they walk into the kitchen, and Will tries his best not to seem tense. 

“Good evening, Mister Verger,” Hannibal smiles when they walk in. He eyes the piglet in Will’s arms and raises an eyebrow. “I see we have an unexpected guest.”

“Our newest pet,” Will informs him. If Hannibal is upset by this, he doesn’t give any indication. “Mason, would you like anything to drink? Wine, beer, whiskey, I’m sure we have vodka somewhere. There’s soda, water. Uh, tea?”

“A glass of wine would be great, thanks.” Mason strides across the room to sit at the kitchen table like he owns the place. “You know, I was very, what’s the word,  _ surprised  _ that you invited me over. I know we did have a rather unsatisfactory last encounter. What with me accidentally picking the lock of your front door,” Mason barks out a laugh. “No, indeed. Anyways, I see that my sister evidently isn’t here. Now, where could she possibly be?”

“I have not heard from Margot in over a week. Not since the last appointment she showed up to.” Hannibal sets a glass of wine in front of him. Will knows it’s likely laced with some sort of light sedative, just to keep Mason less alert of his surroundings, but not enough to completely knock him out. 

Will wonders when exactly Randall Tier is going to show up. Hannibal is purposefully staying out of the view of windows, or has closed all of the ones that have curtains, because if Randall knows he’s here, there’s less of a chance he’ll actually attack the home. He has to think that Will is here, the one that is going to catch him, and that he just has a guest over. A guest that is slightly swaying on his feet, and wouldn’t be too hard to take down as collateral. 

To Mason’s visible confusion, Hannibal goes upstairs to shower after dinner is finished cooking, and Will knows it’s going to happen soon. A few minutes after Will hears the shower stop, he decides he wants to alter their plan just a bit. 

“Mason, I’ll be right back.” Will hurries up the stairs to find Hannibal laying in the center of their bed, eyes closed, hands clasped over his stomach. The piglet is wrapped up on the blanket on the bed next to Hannibal, and Will thinks they might actually keep their new friend. Will clears his throat and Hannibal turns to look at him.

“Yes, darling?” 

“I changed my mind and I want to do it. I want to be the one to kill Randall Tier after he kills Mason. Just back me up, of course.”

“You’re sure you don’t want me to? It would be quick and simple if I do it. You may experience distress afterwards, as you have in the past,” Hannibal reminds him.

Will shakes his head and he’s about to answer when the sound of glass breaking and Mason’s screaming beats him to it. The unmistakable sound of Mason choking on blood as his throat gets ripped out carries up the stairs, and both Hannibal and Will run down the stairs. They’re very glad they locked the dogs and cats in Abigail and Margot’s room because there’s blood all over their floor, where Randall, in his bear suit, has dragged Mason’s carcass out of the kitchen. 

Knowing this is it, Will charges towards Randall and lands a punch to the bear skull. He knows his hand has tore open terribly as it goes through the sharp teeth of the mouth to meet Randall’s real face. Will is on top of him, landing blow after blow while Randall snarls and tries to fight back. This goes on until Hannibal finally comes over and pulls Will off of him, then heavily stomps his foot into Randall’s throat. Will can hear a loud crack. It’s hard to say if he’s dead or just unconscious and paralyzed, but Randall Tier has stopped his snarling and thrashing. 

Will sits on the ground a few feet away trying to catch his breath, and Hannibal leans down to check Randall Tier’s pulse. He makes a displeased noise and pulls a pocket knife out of his pants and stabs it into Randall’s chest, then pulls it out, knowing the blood loss will end up killing him. 

“Sorry, love, I know you wanted the final blow, but I couldn’t watch you hurt yourself like that,” Hannibal says. 

“It’s okay. Thanks for doing that,” Will nods. “I, uh. I’ll call Jack. We know our story right?”

Hannibal nods, and Will goes to get his phone, picking it up with a bloody, shaky hand and dialling Jack’s number. 

“Hello?” Jack answers.

“Hey, uh. I think we caught that animal killer.”

“What do you mean?”Jack asks.

“I mean… He came to our house. He killed our guest, Jack… Hannibal was in the shower when he came in, I was upstairs checking on a new pet. He came in through a window and killed Mason Verger. There’s blood everywhere Jack,” Will speaks quickly, frantically, and as if he’s nervous.

“Slow down, Will. Is he still alive? The murderer, not Mason.”

“N-no,” Will stutters. “I had to fight him off, I stabbed him, but it didn’t do a whole lot. Hannibal came down and was able to crush his airway. I don’t know if he died from that or the blood loss, but he’s not moving, I uh, I called right away. I think Hannibal’s trying to see if there’s anything he can do,” Will gets out. 

“Okay. Okay, I’m on my way. These bastards always come after you, don’t they? But what did this guy have to do with you this time?”

“I don’t know, Jack. I mean, maybe he’s heard of me? Everyone knows how I help catch killers. Hold on, Hannibal’s trying to tell me something,” Will says. Hannibal gives out his scripted line.

“This man used to be one of my patients. It may be possible he came here because I tried to convince him that he isn’t what he thought he was. I thought I had cured him, but I see now that it’s quite likely all I did was make him angry,” Hannibal finishes. 

Will brings the phone back to his ear. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah. Shit. You guys attract some weirdos. I’ll get crime scene cleanup, and everyone out there as soon as I can,” Jack assures him. “Are you hurt?”

“Just some bad cuts on my hands, but I’ll have Hannibal fix them up.”

They exchange goodbyes, and Hannibal and Will look at each other. Both of them are grinning from ear to ear that, once again, Jack believes them. 

“You need to touch this knife and get your prints on it seeing as you told Jack you stabbed him. Just to be safe,” Hannibal says, holding the knife out to him. Will holds it in the same position he would if he were to stab with it, and then sets it back down next to the lifeless body. 

Hannibal guides Will upstairs, leaving the bloody mess behind them. He pushes him into the bathroom and starts filling the bathtub while Will sits on the bathroom counter. Hannibal sends a text to Jack from Will’s phone, and Will reads it over after it’s sent.

_ Will and I are in the bathroom upstairs, I am taking care of his wounds and he is taking a bath. The front door is unlocked, and if you have questions, just come up and ask us. -Hannibal _

“My love, how have we ended up here once again?” Hannibal murmurs. “It seems I am always cleaning your wounds and drawing a bath for you.”

“I’m much more present than I was with Matthew Brown’s death.”

“Hm, yes. Let me see your hands,” Hannibal requests. He takes a washcloth from the cabinet, wets it and carefully wipes away all of the blood. “These are quite bad this time around. Both hands as well. I may have to stitch them up.”

Will nods and lets Hannibal do what he thinks he needs to do. He winces through each tug of the needle and thread as it goes through his skin. When finished, Hannibal bandages them and brings both hands to his lips to press soft kisses to them. 

They both strip off their clothes and climb into the bath, Will pressed with his back to Hannibal’s chest. The tub isn’t meant for two grown men, but they make it work well enough. It’s comfortable. Will knows he didn’t kill him, but he feels like what he and Hannibal did was very much a joint effort, even if Hannibal thinks he could have done it himself, much simpler and easier. 

Will is careful to keep his bandaged and stitched hands out of the water, and he tilts his head back against Hannibal’s shoulder while they sit there. Will inhales deeply then exhales again and Hannibal wraps his arms around his chest. 

“How are you feeling?” Hannibal asks. 

“Good. I feel really good. Mason’s dead, Randall Tier is dead. We did that together, and now Margot is safe from her brother. We did good tonight, baby.”

“I have to agree, darling. If you start to feel bad, please tell me,” Hannibal whispers. 

Will nods.

He hears people coming into the house, but they both stay right where they are. After a few minutes, there’s a knock on the bathroom door, and it opens slightly, having not been fully closed. 

“You guys in there?” Jack asks.

“Yes. You may come in if you wish, but I must warn you that we are not clothed,” Hannibal tells him. 

Will turns slightly and looks at Hannibal, unable to believe that he just told Jack he can come in while they’re in the bath together.

The door opens further. “I’ve seen enough naked bodies in this line of work, I’m not worried about yours,” Jack tells them. “You guys okay?” 

Will brings his knees up to his chest so he’s not giving Jack a full frontal view, and he nods. “Shaken up, that’s for sure. I didn’t see him kill Mason, but the aftermath… there was so much blood, Jack.”

“Yeah, it’s a mess down there,” Jack agrees. “Caught us another killer.”

“Sure did,” Will sighs. “I’m not sure how much I like that it’s happened like this. Twice now, with Abigail and now with us. Actually… three times if you count Tobias Budge.” 

“You three are magnets for killers,” Jack agrees. “Where’s Margot and Abigail? And why did you invite Mason Verger for dinner?”

“Margot and Abigail are staying at Alana’s  _ because _ we invited Mason Verger for dinner. We wanted to show him that Margot isn’t here and that we can all be civil, but… fucking hell. That took a fucked up turn,” Will shakes his head. “We thought if he thought Margot was not here, that he’d leave us alone after tonight.”

“As morbid as it sounds, he can't bother you again. Maybe in nightmares, but not physically,” Jack says. 

“Oh, I’ll definitely have nightmares,” Will agrees. He shivers, as if disturbed by the thought of it. Hannibal kisses the back of his neck lightly, and Will relaxes into him a bit. 

“I’ll leave you two be in just a moment. I just have a few more questions,” Jack says. Will nods. “Hannibal, you were in the shower when he came in?”

Hannibal nods. “I had just finished cooking and wanted to shower before eating.”

“And Will, you said a new pet?” Jack asks.

“Mason brought us a piglet,” Will tells him. 

“Weird, but okay. So you ran downstairs, Will and stabbed him, then pulled the knife and started punching him, yes?”

Will nods. 

“Then what?”

Hannibal speaks, “I dressed as quickly as possible and ran downstairs, then pulled Will off of him. His name is Randall Tier, by the way, I used to treat him. I did the only thing I could think of and stomped on his windpipe.”

Jack nods. “I’m glad you guys made it out okay. And thank god the dogs or the girls weren’t downstairs.”

“Yeah, thank god,” Will agrees. 

“I’ll let you guys have your privacy then. Do you need me to put the dogs out? I can get them through the living room just fine if I take a few at a time.”

“That would be great. Be careful that you don’t let the cats out of the bedroom. Or if you want to just bring them in here, that might work better,” Will tells him. 

Jack nods and leaves the room. A minute later he returns with all three cats in his arms, and Will is grateful they like people. Jack closes the door after him, and Will can hear him herding a few dogs at a time down the stairs. 

“I can’t believe you told Jack to come in here when you’ve got your hard dick pressing into my back,” Will laughs quietly. 

“It’s not as if he could see it,” Hannibal says into Will’s neck.

“What if he’d seen mine?” Will asks, trying to sound annoyed but failing. 

“He didn’t.”

“Maybe not.”

“Should we get out? I fear the cats are going to jump in with us at any moment,” Hannibal points out. The cats are perched on the edge of the tub and Will reaches out to push them onto the floor. He climbs out of the tub and dries off with a towel, then turns to see that Hannibal hasn’t gotten up yet, he’s just staring at him, his desire apparent in his expression. Will reaches out a hand to pull Hannibal out of the bath, and then hands him a towel to dry off. 

Hannibal picks up two cats, and Will picks up the third and they leave the bathroom naked, which is a bit risky considering Jack is coming up and down the stairs with dogs. Of course Jack is leaving the bedroom with Buster and Winston the second they open the bathroom door, and Jack averts his eyes and almost lets go of Winston’s collar on accident. Hannibal and Will hurry into their bedroom and close the door behind them, before looking at each other and laughing.

“I love you,” Will says as they fall into bed together, pressing kisses along necks, collar bones, jaws, and lips.

“And I love you. Beyond belief,” Hannibal answers. 

And Will really doesn’t start to feel bad after this kill. Not at all, not like the others. He has no moment like he had their first day together where he can’t believe what he’s doing. He doesn’t feel the urge to stab Hannibal, or to strangle him like he used to, just because of what Hannibal was. He doesn’t wake up screaming that night, he doesn’t have to keep convincing himself that he’s doing something that isn’t wrong. He doesn’t feel bad, not like he had in the beginning, not at all. 

Because he knows that Hannibal loves him, and that he loves Hannibal. That their relationship is sustainable afterall, because if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t still fall asleep in Hannibal’s arms every night. 

The days when Hannibal lied to Will about that aspect of his life are over because Will is a part of that part of Hannibal’s life now. And Will plans on keeping it that way for as long as possible. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is it! I'll havee an epilogue out as soon as possible, but I hope it feels like the place they ended isn't where they began. *Wink* 
> 
> The epilogue will have the wedding btw! So don’t be sad I didn’t write it because I will.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos!


	14. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to give them at least one sex scene where they didn’t get interrupted, but every day I wake up and choose violence, so. Yes there’s smut, and yes it goes how it always goes with these guys. 
> 
> Also an attempt on writing less of a limited perspective, so it’s got both Hannibal and Will’s thoughts, but it might be a little Will-heavy because I’m still practicing.
> 
> Please enjoy, and make sure you read the end note.

In the coming months, the house continues to be built, Hannibal and Will sometimes go off and kill people who _really_ deserve it, displaying their bodies after working on them at a remote cabin Hannibal has. Will doesn’t participate every time, sometimes he’s still not entirely on board, but Hannibal never pushes him into it, and Will always tells him when he starts to feel distressed after a kill. 

After two months of Nicky regularly coming to their home, Abigail finally tells Hannibal and Will that they’re dating. By then, it was quite obvious. The two are inseparable. Even though Abigail often goes with Nicky on her kills, Hannibal and Will keep her as far away from their own as possible. She can choose to do what she wants, but it won’t be because of their influence.

They don’t keep the piglet, after all. Margot had told them it would grow to be three hundred pounds and they brought it to a farm, who took it gratefully. 

With Mason gone, Margot is left without any part of the Verger fortune. She starts working at a horse stable, as she loves riding and can teach people how to do it, too. She enjoys is immensely, working for herself, doing soemthing she likes. She stays with Hannibal, Will and Abigail, but she can often be found at Alana’s house. Will and Hannibal are sure it’s only a matter of time before her and Alana live together completely.

They have their engagement party in their small house, the new one not ready yet. It’s a tight fit, getting all their friends in there, but it’s a pleasant time for Hannibal, and a painfully social time for Will. Will goes upstairs and lays down for half of the party, and if Hannibal joins him, none of their guests notice their absence at all. 

By spring, their house is built, their wedding is planned, and things have fallen into place for them. Nicky practically moves in with them, Alana is always over at their new house. If Alana knows a little too much about everyone’s hobbies, she doesn’t tell anyone else about them. 

——

On the day of their wedding Hannibal and Will are upstairs in their bedroom, tying each other’s ties and buttoning each other’s waistcoats. 

Hannibal has been trying all morning to get Will’s hair to look less wild, but Will just runs his fingers through it again and messes it up again completely. 

“You really need to stop messing up your hair, darling,” Hannibal tells him, once again trying to fix it. 

“It’s a lost cause, baby. You know that,” Will smiles. “I really can’t believe we made it to this day.”

“That morning when I brought you breakfast to your hotel room, do you remember what you said to me?” Hannibal asks. 

Will thinks for a second, then answers, “I said I don’t find you that interesting.”

“And do you remember what I said?”

“That I will.”

Hannibal nods. “And was I correct?” 

“No. You’re not interesting at all.” Will winks and goes into the bathroom to look in the mirror again, fixing his hair just because he knows Hannibal will throw a fit if their wedding photos aren’t perfect. 

Hannibal stands behind Will in the mirror and takes in both of their images reflected in front of them. He can’t believe how utterly in love he is, how he can possibly feel this strongly for someone, as if Will completely changed him and made him more human. He kisses the back of Will’s neck, and wraps his arms around Will’s body, trailing his hands up and down Will’s chest and stomach. 

“Hannibal, what do you think you’re doing?” Will asks, raising an eyebrow. He already knows, and he knows he’s going to agree the second Hannibal asks him to undress, and he knows it’s a terrible idea and that they’ll be late to their own wedding if they do. All of their guests are already waiting outside, talking before they’re supposed to take their seats in barely even twenty minutes. 

“You’re irresistible, Will,” Hannibal murmurs into his neck. He brings his lips to Will’s ear and whispers, “We should fuck now so neither of us can get hard in front of all of our guests.” He pushes his hips against Will’s ass and Will gasps when he feels Hannibal’s hardening cock pressing against him. 

Hannibal wants him now, needs him. Wants Will to fuck him, knowing all of these people are waiting on them outside. He lowers his hand to start palming Will’s cock through his suit pants. 

“Hannibal, if we’re late to our own wedding, they’re gonna send someone up here. We don’t need Abigail walking in on us,” Will says, but he’s pushing forward against Hannibal’s hand. He wants this so bad. 

“Abigail, Nicky, Margot, and Alana all know better than to interrupt us. They would send Jack or Mister Price or Mister Zeller to come check on us,” Hannibal says. He starts sucking on the back of Will’s neck, and rolls his hips forward, rocking against Will’s ass. 

“You want one of them to walk in on us,” Will states. “You want Jack to see us fucking so he never tries to interrupt us ever again. You think he’ll hear the sounds I’m making and connect them to every time you’ve answered the phone while riding me?” 

“I can’t say that even crossed my mind,” Hannibal lies. Will knows he’s lying, Hannibal knows Will knows he’s lying. Hannibal sees Will smiling in the reflection of the mirror and he smiles back faintly. He whispers in Will’s ear, “Let’s make it quick and we won’t have to worry about it.” 

Will turns and pushes Hannibal out of the bathroom, towards the bed, both of them undressing to just their shirts, ties and socks. Hannibal goes into the drawer of the nightstand and gets the lube and a condom, wanting to keep the mess as minimal as possible. He doesn’t need come dripping down his legs during their wedding. 

Hannibal hands the condom and lube to Will, and lays down on his stomach on the mattress, spreading his legs for Will, and grinding down into the mattress. Will coats his fingers and presses one into Hannibal, and moans when he realizes Hannibal already prepared himself. 

“You’ve been planning this,” Will accuses. Still, he adds another finger, working them in and out, savoring the way Hannibal squirms. 

“I wanted to be ready for you at any moment. I was hopeful we’d get a chance either before the ceremony or during the reception,” Hannibal explains. Will’s fingers hit his prostate as Hannibal speaks the last word and it’s lost to a groan, but Will understands regardless. 

After sliding his fingers out, Will decides to take off his shirt completely, tells Hannibal to do the same, and rolls the condom onto his cock, before laying down on his back and telling Hannibal to get on top of him. 

Hannibal lowers himself onto Will and closes his eyes as he takes him in, dropping his mouth open. Will reaches up and pulls Hannibal down for a kiss, then grips his hips and encourages him to move. Hannibal doesn’t need to be told twice, lifting up and then bringing himself back down. He picks up a steady rhythm and neither man tries to hide the sounds that come out of their mouths. 

Will pulls him back down for another kiss, then wraps his arms around Hannibal’s back and flips them over, so Hannibal is on his back with Will over him. Hannibal wraps his legs around Will’s waist while Will thrusts into him, and Will drops his head to Hannibal’s neck, biting and sucking. Hannibal knows he’s going to be left with bruises scattered across every visible piece of his skin. 

With a hand tangled in Will’s hair, Hannibal pulls him away and catches Will’s lips with his own, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth when Will tries to pull away again. Hannibal bites down harder and Will cries out as sharp teeth cut open his lip. Hannibal can taste blood and finally lets go, but Will just kisses him again. 

There’s a knock on the bedroom door and Will hisses, “Fuck off,” just as the door opens. He turns his head to see Jack Crawford in the doorway. Will picks up a pillow and throws it just as Jack realizes what’s going on and backs out of the doorway, closing the door while saying apology after apology. 

Will drops his forehead to Hannibal’s and they both laugh. Will says, “Leave it to Jack fucking Crawford. Every fucking time.” 

“On our wedding day, even. The audacity,” Hannibal smiles. 

“If I’m being honest, he’s seen us naked more times than I am entirely comfortable with,” Will says. 

“I am sure he feels the same way,” Hannibal says. 

If Jack came up, then they’re running out of time, so Will starts to move faster, and Hannibal brings his hand between their bodies to touch himself. Will bites into Hannibal’s neck and that’s all it takes for Hannibal to start coming, leaving a mess on his hand and between their stomachs as he squeezes around Will’s cock. Will comes right after, continue to fuck Hannibal through their orgasms. Both of them are panting, and just want to lay down by the time Will pulls out, but there’s no time to cuddle. 

Will pulls off the condom and drops it in the garbage in the bathroom, then gets a wet cloth to wipe down their stomachs and Hannibal’s hand, then throws the towel in the laundry basket.

“That was wonderful, darling. Thank you,” Hannibal says, still laying naked in bed. 

“Thank me later, we’re late for our own wedding,” Will says. He throws Hannibal’s clothes at him and quickly pulls his own back on, getting dressed in a record time, retying his tie, rebuttoning his waistcoat. Hannibal takes a second to watch Will before finally deciding to get up. 

“It seems I made a mess of your hair,” Hannibal sighs once they have their clothes on again and are hurrying out of the bedroom. 

“Well, yours doesn’t look too good either. And I made a mess of your neck,” Will says, reaching out to graze his fingers along the bruising skin. 

“And I split open your lip.” 

“God, everyone’s going to know,” Will mumbles. 

“Let them. Today is our day, darling. Let them all know that we are doing this on our own terms, on our own timeframe and not any of theirs. If everyone can expect us to answer their calls at any time, then they can all wait an extra ten minutes while we are late to our wedding,” Hannibal decides. 

In the kitchen, next to the sliding glass door into the backyard, they stop and look at each other, then outside. Nicky is standing on the other side of the door, clearly waiting for them. When she sees them she waves her hand and they can just barely hear her saying “Lets go,” and they look at each other again, kiss, and then go get married. 

Their wedding party consists of the women closest to them, not caring about the traditional “groomsmen” of weddings. Instead, Hannibal has Alana and Abigail on his side, and Will has Margot and Beverly on his.

It’s hard to find a flower girl or a ring bearer when no one they know has kids, so flower girl is Michelangelo with a basket of flower petals, though he didn’t do a very good job at all. The ring bearer, of course, is Winston. He does a good job, but only because Will calls him and Winston always runs when Will calls. All the other guests in attendance are in awe about the well behaved dogs. After Winston hands over the rings, Nicky runs across to bring him and Michelangelo back inside. 

Besides the late start, the ceremony goes by smoothly. They exchange vows, they kiss, everyone claps. 

During the reception, Jack comes up to them and once again apologizes for walking in on them. 

“Seriously, Jack, you don’t wait for an answer after knocking?” Will asks. He’s sitting next to Hannibal, their fingers laced together on top of the table. Neither one can believe they’re actually married. Over a year ago, when they were going on their fake dates, neither thought their pining was mutual, yet here they are, bound till death do they part. 

“Alana told me just to walk in!” 

“Why would you listen to her?” Hannibal asks. 

“I really did not think you’d be having sex while you were supposed to already be downstairs,” Jack mumbles. 

“Well now you know better,” Will shrugs. 

After that, the toasting starts, and everyone has a long speech, each person trying to one up the last. 

Jack starts it off by saying, “I asked Hannibal Lecter to do a psychological profile on Will Graham nearly two years ago, and wow, was that a mistake? Will saw right through it, yelled at Hannibal for psychoanalysing him, and then stormed off. So then, Will and Hannibal are on the Hobbs case together, and for some reason after that they are always together, completely inseparable, and as time goes on, and as they’re doing therapy together, they start hanging out more and more and honestly, I just thought they were really good friends,” and everyone laughs at that, and Jack continues, “So imagine my surprise, the day after Will’s birthday when I go to Hannibal’s during an investigation, and I’m looking for an alibi, and Will comes running downstairs in one of Hannibal’s shirts, confirming that he was in bed with Hannibal all night.” 

Will smiles and the memory, and Hannibal squeezes his thigh under the table. It feels like so long ago that they put the Chesapeake Ripper to rest. 

“So, yeah, finding out these two are together was a surprise to me. I really thought that Will was going to end up maiming Hannibal after that first meeting, but here they are.”

Next, Alana goes. “I found out about Hannibal and Will three months before Jack did, but only because I kissed Will and he told me he couldn’t do that because he was already seeing someone. When I found out it was Hannibal, I went to his office first thing the next morning to kick his ass for dating a patient. But as they tell everyone, all the time, Will was never officially his patient. So I got over that quickly, and I’m glad I did, because having these two in my life has brought me great things,” she smiles at Margot. She raises her glass and says, “So, to Hannibal and Will and their not doctor-patient relationship.” 

Then Beverly, “I found out a week before Jack. I would consider Will to be a pretty good friend, and yet he didn’t tell me that he was dating Hannibal until I found out when they showed up to a crime scene _together_ on a Saturday morning, bickering like an old married couple over a corpse. Then I went out to lunch with them, and this was the night after we had a meeting to plan Will’s surprise party, and the confirmation I got about their relationship was Hannibal telling me he had to tell Will who he was with because Will thought Hannibal was cheating on him. I really don’t think Hannibal would ever have it in him to do that. Seriously, these guys are so in love it makes me sick.”

Finally when Abigail stands, they both know her speech is going to be the best out of everyones. “Will killed my dad and then Hannibal saved my life. Now I live with them and call them my dads so I actually have a lot of stories. Like the time Will was mad at Hannibal so he bought me a cat with Hannibal’s money.” Everyone laughs at that. They don’t know that Will was mad because Hannibal had killed Miriam Lass without him, but the rest of that story is true. “Or how I had to yell at Hannibal that he needed to propose the night he did because if he kept waiting for some perfect moment, it would never happen. Or how Will and I thought we were so funny naming our pets after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because we thought Hannibal didn’t know about them, but it turns out he did so now we just have four animals with ridiculous names and it’s not even funny anymore. Basically, I have you all beat. Sure, you all have cool stories about how you found out about them, but I have been living with them for months. They’ve given me a home and a family, and that’s the best gift I can ask for.”

When Abigail sits back down, Will pats her shoulder, then pulls her in for a one-armed hug, his other hand still clasped tightly in Hannibal’s. 

Hannibal let’s go of Will’s hand to stand. “As you all know, I am very intolerant of rudeness and am particular about who I let into my home based on this,” everyone nods, yeah they do know, but not the measures that Hannibal takes to get rid of rude people. 

He continues, “For some peculiar reason I have just married the rudest person I have ever met.” Will pushes Hannibal at that and Hannibal looks down at where he’s seated and smiles. “I truly do not understand. There are many people who would be much more polite to me that I could easily get into my bed, but of course I have chosen Will to share mine for the rest of our lives. He even made us late to our own wedding, which is very rude to make you all wait like that. He was even ruder by swearing and throwing a pillow at Jack when he walked in and interrupted us. And Jack, I hope you’ve learned your lesson to wait for an answer after knocking. You have seen us naked too many times for anyone’s comfort.”

Jack hides his face in his hands and groans and everyone looks confused for a second until it seems to click and they all start laughing. Someone wolf whistles, and Will pulls Hannibal back down into his seat so he’ll _shut up, please._ Will knows his own face has gone red, and Hannibal is overjoyed at everyone’s reaction to his very improvised speech. 

“Will, it’s your turn! You cannot top that!” Jimmy calls out.

Will clears his throat. “I already did. That’s why we were late,” he says, and wishes he didn’t, but it’s too late. Abigail makes a gagging sound next to him and he whispers, “sorry.”

Knowing he has to, Will stands. 

“Hannibal and I may be quite the unlikely pair. He’s a psychiatrist, I hate being psychoanalyzed, he’s a doctor but I wait until I’m on death's door before getting medical attention, he wears thousand dollar suits and expensive cashmere sweaters, and I wear t-shirts that come in 3-packs from Target. But I have never felt this way for anyone in my life.” Will leans into Hannibal’s shoulder as he stands next to the seated man. 

“I think we could all use a bit of honesty right now. Hannibal and I actually started out our relationship by going on fake dates. Because he apparently had a patient that was being too forward and Hannibal wanted to take me to the opera to show his patient he was unavailable. I agreed because I was already completely gone for him,” Will explains. “It took us several fake dates, and then me kissing Alana, and then Hannibal getting attacked in his office, before we finally confessed our feelings for each other. Sorry we lied, Alana. I was just very hopeful Hannibal felt the same way about me. I went to his house that night and that was the first night I fell asleep in his arms and from then on, every night we spent apart sucked.”

Hannibal reaches up and grabs Will’s hand, giving it a squeeze, then bringing it to his lips to press a kiss to his scarred knuckles. “When he asked me to live with him I thought it was way too soon, but Beverly convinced me that I shouldn’t worry about something like that. When Abigail asked if we would get married, I thought _that_ was too soon, too. Everyone saw it in us that we’d make it this far, besides me because I was too scared that Hannibal would leave me for one of those more polite people he mentioned. I was so stupid to think that. Hannibal only has eyes for me, and I don’t know what I did to deserve him.” 

Will raises his glass to toast, “To the patient that wanted to get into Hannibal’s pants, and to my husband, Hannibal Lecter-Graham.” 

Everyone drinks to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THATS IT! First of all, thank you to everyone who has read, left comments and kudos. This is the longest thing I have ever written. I planned on writing a 15k word fake dating AU and then I just really liked how I wrote these characters, and here I am, 3 main parts and a few timestamps later. Almost 130k words instead of 15k. Leaving this universe behind is going to be difficult for me, so even though this series is marked as complete, I might add a few things whenever I get time or if I miss this characterization. 
> 
> If you did enjoy this series, please tell your friends, recommend it to people, tell them to tell me what they think. I would be forever grateful if everyone continues to leave comments on this long after it’s finished. I always like feedback, and I can use it in my future stories. Speaking of which, please check out my other works, as well! I have a few one shots and a few WIPs right now. 
> 
> I’ll be updating tags, but please feel free to let me know if there are specific tags I should be using for this series. 
> 
> As always, please leave comments and kudos!
> 
> -Grim oldandloaded


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